Canucks Daily: The Kick Heard ‘Round the World

As advertised here, a continuing trickle of news out of the Vancouver Canucks organization as we move through the spring and get closer to summer. Thursday it was the signing of Swedish forward Linus Karlsson. We’ll have a report on the player momentarily.

We’ll also have another stop along the Vancouver Canucks free agent roll call.

In the meantime, for a series that lasted just five games, the Battle of Alberta was pretty amazing and there was no shortage of controversy.

The Kick

Whether you missed it or not, it’s worth taking a look at Blake Coleman’s disallowed goal in the third period of Game-5 between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames on Thursday night. It would have given the Flames a one-goal lead in the closing minutes. Instead, it was waved off for being a very arguable “distinct kicking motion”, with Connor McDavid and the Oilers ultimately winning the game and the series 5-4 in overtime.

Take another look above and see what your opinion is, or if it’s changed.

If Coleman had just let the puck keep bouncing it was headed into the net, but that’s very easy to say after the fact and when you’re not going full speed at the moment looking for the go-ahead goal. Depending on the camera angle, there was definitely a kicking motion to the puck being propelled into the net.

Either way the Oilers deserved the series. They outplayed a Calgary Flames team who’s core remains a bit of mystery in the postseason year to year. What happened to Matthew Tkachuk? After a hat trick in Game-1 of the series he vanished, but it’s definitely not all on him. In particular, former Vancouver Canucks netminder Jacob Markstrom wasn’t very good. A team simply can’t have inconsistent goaltending in the postseason. Period.

The Oilers move on to the Western Conference Final against either the Colorado Avalanche or the St. Louis Blues with the Av’s having another chance to close out the series tonight in Game-6 in Missouri.