It happened with the puck in the Rangers zone about five minutes into the first period with the Lightning holding a 1-0 lead. Right after a shot by Lightning center Pierre-Edouard Bellemar was saved by Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin, the puck was kicked out to Lightning defenseman Jan Rutta near the blue line. Rutta's shot went just wide of the net, but the horn went off in the arena, leading to some confusion as the crowd cheered while the puck bounced around behind the net.
The officials were forced to stop play at the 5:10 mark. It's not clear what the person controlling the horn would have seen that gave the impression that the puck went into the net. We can honestly say that we haven't seen this happen before, and we're sure that most hockey fans at home haven't either.
The stoppage led to a faceoff in the Rangers zone won by the Lightning, but the Rangers were able to stand fast on defense and clear the puck without giving up a goal.
In the end, the misplaced horn blare didn't have any impact on the end result of the game. However, it definitely is an embarrassing for the hometown horn operator, whoever they may be. We are guessing that person will be a lot more cautious for the rest of the game, as that cannot happen again.
[ESPN]
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
