NHL competition committee recommends expansion of instant replay

After several controversial calls sparked outrage during the Stanley Cup playoffs, the NHL/NHLPA competition committee has recommended an expansion of instant replay.

The committee called for changes to the coach’s challenge system as well as the expansion of a referee’s ability to review calls on his own. The committee did not detail which calls would become reviewable under its proposal.

Any change would have to be discussed by the league’s general managers and approved by the league’s board of governors and executive board before being implemented.

A missed hand pass in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals between San Jose and St. Louis and a dubious major penalty call in Game 7 of a first-round series between San Jose and Vegas put the league’s replay policy into the spotlight. Neither play was reviewable.

The competition committee recommended a few other rules changes as well:

• A change to the playoff tiebreaker system. According to reports, the committee recommended changing the first tiebreaker from regulation plus overtime wins to simply regulation wins, thus deemphasizing three-on-three overtime slightly.

• A rule that would “reasonably” require players to leave the ice after losing their helmets. A similar rule has been on the books in the AHL since 2014.

• A proposal that the defensive team not be allowed a line change if its goalie freezes a puck on a shot from behind the red line.

• A change that would allow the offensive team to choose the faceoff dot after an icing call or at the start of a power play.