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DeBoer on missed Del Zotto penalty: “It was irrelevant”

mdzgetty

Moments before Chris Kreider buried an insurance 2-0 goal in the third period of a 3-0 New York Rangers Game 1 win, it appeared that Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto closed his hand on a puck and passed it along the boards in his own zone. That would normally be a minor penalty but it went undetected by referees and that Kreider goal followed shortly afterward.

Apparently it went undetected by the Devils too, though.

Tom Gulitti reports that Zach Parise, Adam Henrique and Peter DeBoer all admitted that they didn’t see the Del Zotto would-be infraction. DeBoer wasn’t eager to use that missed penalty as an excuse, either.

“I don’t know; I haven’t looked at the tape,” DeBoer said. “It was irrelevant. That wasn’t why we lost. But I didn’t see that.”

Perhaps DeBoer and the Devils’ thoughts might change once they see replays of the situation, yet they deserve credit for accepting their end of the situation.