How badly did Paul Stastny, Blues get screwed by refs? (Video)

With 5:01 left in the second period on Tuesday night, the St. Louis Blues’ Paul Stastny scored a goal past goalie Ondrej Pavelec to tie the Winnipeg Jets, 1-1.

But he didn’t celebrate. He remained on his knees, in the corner, staring at the officials as they waved off the goal and signaled a slashing penalty on Stastny, as defenseman Tyler Myers lost his stick while defending him.

You never know how a play like this will ultimately affect a game, but the answer on Tuesday night was “greatly”: Pavelec pitched a 30-save shutout, making Chris Thorburn’s second-period goal standup in the huge 1-0 win.

Stastny was baffled by it.

"I thought nothing of it. If it was a 50-50, if I would have felt a little guilty, I would have thought about it. I didn't at all,” Stastny said after the game, via Lou Korac.

"I'm just trying to make body or stick position. I thought nothing of it. If I would have been hesitant about it or broken (Myers') stick, I would have understood; it's an easy call."

The key to the rule applied to this penalty:

“Any forceful or powerful chop with the stick on an opponent’s body, the opponent’s stick, or on or near the opponent’s hands that, in the judgment of the Referee, is not an attempt to play the puck, shall be penalized as slashing.”

The puck had been released by Steve Ott on left wing when Stastny put his blade down on the ice and, in the process, knocked Myers’ stick out of his hands.

It's easy to read it as an attempt to play the puck.

But Myers saw it differently: "It was pretty clear he just slashed my stick out of my hand. I don't think there's much to argue if you look at the full replay."

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