Dallas Stars goaltender Ben Bishop reacts after being hit by a puck during the third period in Game 6 of an NHL second-round hockey playoff series against the St. Louis Blues, Sunday, May 5, 2019, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
A controversial goal late in Game 6 between the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars was the talking point after the Blues' 4-1 victory to force a Game 7.
In the third period, Stars goalkeeper Ben Bishop was struck in the collarbone by a laser shot off the stick of Blues defenseman Colton Parayko. Bishop dropped to the ice clearly in pain while two Blues players worked the puck into the back of the net to take a two-goal lead.
It was an important sequence for the game, ultimately helping the Blues build a comfortable margin of victory in the Western Conference semifinal game. According to USA Today, the play in question wasn’t stopped because the Blues didn’t lose possession of the puck during the sequence.
“When a player is injured so that he cannot continue to play or go to his bench, the play shall not be stopped until the injured player’s team has secured control of the puck," NHL rules state. "If the player’s team is in control of the puck at the time of injury, play shall be stopped immediately unless his team is in a scoring position."
NHL referees could have stopped play at their discretion due to a serious injury, but no one intervened.
Bishop left the game after the Blues pushed their lead to 4-1. X-rays on his collarbone came back negative.
Bishop had been a major reason why the Stars have even gotten this far. He led the NHL with a 93.4 save percentage and 1,236 total saves in 46 games for Dallas.
Game 7 will be played Tuesday in St. Louis.
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