A late goalie-interference challenge by Golden Knights coach John Tortorella failed in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, flipping a waved-off moment into a Hurricanes power play—and then into a Carolina go-ahead goal.
The drama didn’t wait for the scoreboard to catch up.
With the Golden Knights and Hurricanes locked at 2-2 and just five minutes left in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. Vegas looked poised to take control. Ivan Barbashev drove a would-be chance toward Carolina net, and Frederik Andersen made a diving save across the crease. The play spilled into a scramble in front of the net. the puck appeared to pop free from underneath Andersen. and it seemed to cross the goal line for a Vegas go-ahead.
But the goal was immediately waved off.
Officials ruled goalie interference—described as the non-penalty variety—and they said they had already blown the play dead when the puck was under Andersen. strengthening Carolina’s case that it should be ruled a non-goal. Even so, Tortorella wasn’t satisfied. He challenged the goalie-interference call, arguing it should have been a Golden Knights goal.
The review did not overturn the decision. Carolina received the power play instead.
That was the moment that lingered, not just because of what the play turned into, but because of the timing. The Hurricanes had struggled through nearly two games with the man advantage. and Tortorella’s challenge gave them another chance—exactly when Vegas may have been pushing for a psychological swing.
It didn’t take long for Carolina to make good on it.
Just 25 seconds into the penalty, Jordan Staal tipped in a shot from Shayne Gostisbehere, giving the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead with 4:35 left in the game.
Vegas answered. The Golden Knights came back with a tying goal to send Game 2 to overtime. And when the dust finally settled, the outcome belonged to Carolina again, which won 4-3 in overtime on a goal from Seth Jarvis. The series stood even at 1-1 as the teams headed west to Las Vegas.
Whether Tortorella’s challenge was the wrong call became the question that hung in the air after the buzzer. The initial ruling was goaltender interference—an area known as notoriously difficult to litigate—while the NHL typically gives officials leeway on these decisions. The challenge also ran into a key rule dynamic described by rules analyst Dave Jackson: the call was correct as it was called dead under Andersen’s pads.
In other words, the onus was on the official to stop play. And once the official says the play is dead, regardless of when the whistle sounds, that’s when the play is dead—especially in a situation where the puck had moved out from under the goaltender’s control.
Still. the sequence left many watching with the uncomfortable feeling that the moment Tortorella needed to gamble most was exactly the moment the rules wouldn’t budge. The Hurricanes didn’t just escape the chaos. They turned the denied goal into a lead. then into an overtime win—leaving the failed challenge as the hinge for everything that followed.
NHL Stanley Cup Final Hurricanes Golden Knights John Tortorella Frederik Andersen Ivan Barbashev Jordan Staal Shayne Gostisbehere Seth Jarvis overtime goalie interference video review
So they waved it off but it was “non-penalty” goalie interference? Sounds like refs just doing ref stuff.
Tortorella challenged it and it didn’t overturn… cool cool. But of course the other team gets a power play right after. That’s gotta feel rigged.
Wait I thought if the puck pops loose it’s a goal automatically like in baseball where if it crosses it crosses? Like they basically decided it was under Andersen so it didn’t count? I’m confused but also I feel bad for Vegas.
The “they had already blown the play dead” part is wild to me. Like how do you blow it dead and then still get mad with a challenge. Also Carolina scoring 25 seconds later is just brutal timing, gotta be momentum stuff.