We witnessed a unique sequence last night during the game between the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers. The visiting goalie at the Bell Centre, Jonathan Quick, actually used Juraj Slafkovsky’s stick to make a save.

See the scene in question right here.

 

 

These images sparked reactions, especially since many Canadiens fans were calling for a penalty on the play.

It wasn’t called initially, but Dave Jackson, the former NHL referee (now an analyst for ESPN), has just confirmed that a penalty should definitely have been called on this sequence.

We’ve received a lot of questions about this, and here’s the answer.

The officials really should have changed their decision and penalized Quick!

A Referee confirms a bad decision by the officials at the Bell Centre last night against the Montreal Canadiens

See the explanation below:

Something I’ve never seen before: Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick lost his stick and Habs Juraj Slafkovsky lost his stick at same time.

So Quick picked up Slafkovskiy’s stick and started playing with it.

– Stu Cowan

 

Dave Jackson: Should this have been a penalty?

– Stu Cowan

 

And the expert’s response:

«Yes.

You are not allowed to pick up an opponent’s stick on the ice, but this can be very confusing when it happens in real time, as the referees are busy monitoring infractions in and around the puck, meaning they aren’t focused on who is using which stick.»

– Dave Jackson

 

 

So we have our answer.

At least the Montreal Canadiens still ended the night with the big two points, and that’s really what matters. Plus, Slafkovsky had the last laugh, getting his revenge in the third period by tying the game.