the call on the ice of a goal was upheld. “The fact is, Coyle was pushed into me and I couldn’t play Swayman….

Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery and goalie Jeremy Swayman discuss the non-call and allowed goal as Charlie Coyle is cross-checked into Swayman

BOSTON — The Florida Panthers’ 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference second-round series was aided by a controversial call that left the home team and its fans stunned.

The Panthers tied the score 2-2 at 3:41 of the third period when Sam Bennett pounced on a loose puck in the crease for a power-play goal. After looking at the replay, it was pretty obvious that Bennett cross-checked Bruins center Charlie Coyle in the back, thus sending him crashing into goaltender Jeremy Swayman.

Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery challenged the play for goalie interference, and after a lengthy review, the call on the ice of a goal was upheld.

“The fact is, Coyle was pushed into me and I couldn’t play my position,” Swayman said postgame. “I just want to stick to facts, and the fact is my own player was pushed into me by theirs, and I couldn’t play my position.”

Swayman reiterated three or four times that he couldn’t play his position. The NHL, in its explanation of the review decision, concluded that Bennett’s actions did not prevent Swayman from playing his position.

Here’s the official explanation from the league:

“The puck is in the crease. I’m trying to make a play,” Coyle said. “It goes through me. I feel a push from behind. I go down on Sway. The puck trickles past, right to their guy. Empty net. I figured I could probably turn around and make a play on it or clear it. That’s what happened. It’s a tough call. Sometimes you’ve got to play through things. Can’t make excuses.”

Not only did Bennett push Coyle into his own goalie, he also cross-checked him, which is a penalty itself. He got away with both, just like he got away with no fine or suspension for his questionable hit on Bruins captain Brad Marchand in Game 3.

“It’s a huge swing,” Coyle said of the review decision. “They score, tie it, and they get a power play out of it (due to the lost challenge). Those are the swings of the game. We saw something different. They saw something different. No other words for that. Whether we agree or not we have to play through it.”

The officiating was quite bad in Game 4, and the outcome could easily have been different if the Bennett goal was disallowed.

But the Bruins also didn’t generate enough offense. They have scored two or fewer goals in six of their last seven games, including Sunday night’s loss. They tallied two shots on net in the third period of Game 4. The Bruins’ lack of offense is the primary reason why they face a 3-1 series deficit.

The Washington Capitals announced in mid-April that Ryan Leonard would return to Boston College for a sophomore season. But not everyone in the hockey media believes that will happen due to a possible domino effect started at the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery.

The San Jose Sharks won the opportunity to draft Boston University star Macklin Celebrini with the first overall selection. Per a report from Daily Faceoff’s Colby Cohen, Celebrini ending up in San Jose could also mean that fellow Sharks prospect Will Smith will also be signing with San Jose and foregoing his sophomore season at Boston College.

Cohen and Frank Seravalli surmise that Smith leaving means the Capitals will go back to the table with Leonard, his linemate, despite the top prospect’s decision earlier to remain in school.

There is a domino effect to the San Jose Sharks winning the draft lottery. Will Smith, who is their other top prospect, is going to sign with the San Jose Sharks. I can tell you that not with 100-percent certainty but I can tell you that with 98.5-percent certainty now that Celebrini is going to be a San Jose Shark next season. I can tell you the same will happen for Will Smith.

It’ll be interesting to see how Smith does at the World Championships. He’s there right now playing with Ryan Leonard and Joel Farabee. And, I mention Ryan Leonard, that’s the next guy to keep your eye on because when Smith signs to go to the NHL you better believe the Washington Capitals are turning up the heat on Ryan Leonard and they’re going to try to get him to sign as well. All this domino effect comes from Celebrini going to the Sharks.

Leonard and Smith are currently two of just three college players playing for Team USA at the 2024 IIHF World Championship. The two Boston College stars wrapped up their outstanding freshman campaigns with the Eagles in early April with a 2-0 loss to the Denver Pioneers in the national title game.

Leonard ended his first season in the NCAA with 60 points (31g, 29a) from 40 games, scoring the third most goals in the country. His 31 tallies set a new all-time school record for most goals scored by a freshman. The previous record (30) had been held by Brian Gionta since 1998.

The 19-year-old winger was approached by the Capitals to sign an entry-level NHL contract before Washington’s first-round playoff matchup with the New York Rangers but rebuffed their attempt. College players initially committing to additional years at their schools and then changing their minds later in the summer is not a rare occurrence though.