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Referee defends terrible goalie interference call on Point after he was pushed into Varlamov

Published June 19, 2021 at 9:10
BY TJ TUCKER
The referee who called a terrible goaltender interference penalty in game two of the semi-finals series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders has defended his actions. The penalty came when the Bolts' Brayden Point was clearly pushed into netminder Semyon Varlamov by his own Isles teammate Adam Pelech. Here's the play to jog your memory:


Varlamov left the game for the remainder of the first period, but returned in the second. According to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, referee Dan O'Rourke, who was the one to call the penalty, justified his actions. Here's what he had to say:

"These are two f--king top-end goaltenders and we want to protect those guys, alright, and I don't think that's a good play."

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I completely agree with the first part of O'Rourke's statement regarding Varlamov and Andrei Vasilevskiy being top-end goaltender and wanting to protect them. The part about it not being a good play is plain hogwash. Point had no choice but to run into Varlamov after Pelech's push from behind. Without the push, the contact was completely avoidable and it's highly unlikely anything would have happened. Why anyone would choose to defend that call even, especially after being able to watch the replay, is mind-boggling.

Officiating has taken centre stage in the series between Tampa Bay and the New York Islanders, with very questionable calls and non-calls on both sides.

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