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The refs blew it by not blowing it, says Devils coach

Kings score

The New Jersey Devils didn’t lose tonight because the whistle should’ve been blown on the Kings’ first goal. They lost because they were the second best team on the ice, and by a fairly wide margin when the final horn sounded and Los Angeles had won, 4-0.

All the same, Devils coach Peter DeBoer would like to know why the Kings were allowed to keep whacking away at Martin Brodeur while the puck was underneath the goaltender’s pads.

“That’s a momentum-changing call at the time,” said DeBoer when asked if he thought the whistle should’ve been blown. “I hope he’s right. That’s an awful big call if you’re wrong.

“I mean, my opinion on it, as soon as you lose sight of the puck, the whistle’s supposed to go. Even if you don’t get [the whistle] to your mouth, your intent is to blow it when you lose sight.

“Should be dead puck, so...I’d like to hear an explanation for it.”

Here’s the goal by Alec Martinez that gave Los Angeles a 1-0 lead at 5:40 of the second period.

Upon further review, the puck was definitely lodged under Brodeur’s pads...

Puck in pads

...though not for long enough apparently.

That, or the referee didn’t see it under his pads.

Anyway, we’ll never know if the game would’ve turned out differently if the whistle had blown. The first goal is always a big one, and doubly so in a low-scoring series like this one, so you can understand DeBoer’s frustration.