Pacioretty was initially called for a major penalty that was rescinded upon review.
Max Pacioretty was initially upset when officials sent him to the penalty box and issued a five-minute major for hitting Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke. However, the call ended up benefiting him because a major infraction is automatically reviewed.
"I just knew it was clean," Pacioretty said two days after his Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Boston Bruins 4-0. "If it looked like I was — well — I was yelling, but if it looked like I was frustrated, it's because I didn't know that they were going to be able to get me out of it. They can overturn it."
After noticing that Peeke was injured on the play, the officials conferred and sent Pacioretty to the penalty box. They then announced to the fans at Scotiabank Arena that Pacioretty was given a major penalty for boarding, which would be reviewed.
Upon reviewing, it became clear that Pacioretty’s hit was clean, and the officials rescinded the penalty entirely.
"In hindsight, it was definitely the right decision for them to go that route rather than just give me two if they weren't sure," Pacioretty said. "But I wasn't sure if you can reverse a five entirely. I thought the rule was you can reverse a five down to a two, but they got it right. And I knew it was a clean hit, and I'm just happy they got it right. And it's unfortunate to see a guy get injured, never trying to do that at all."
According to section 20.6 of the NHL's official rule book, major penalties can be reviewed with three possible outcomes:
The Referee shall have the following options after video review of his own call: (i) confirming his original Major Penalty call; (ii) reducing his original Major Penalty call to a lesser penalty; or (iii) rescinding the original Major Penalty altogether.
The rule was updated just before the 2022-23 NHL season to allow for major penalties to be rescinded. When reviews for major penalties were first introduced in 2019-20, officials could only reduce a major penalty to a minor.
Pacioretty’s unfamiliarity with the updated rule is understandable. The amendment was announced in September 2022, just as he was weeks into recovery from his first Achilles injury he sustained during the summer in training. He only played five games that season before re-injuring his Achilles.
With reviews available to ensure correct calls, it made sense for the referees to discuss it and allow for a review that could remove the penalty entirely. This approach is similar to how officials may let borderline offside calls go, knowing teams can challenge and review replays in real time.
It's also comparable to how an NFL official might call a close goal-line play a touchdown, ensuring the play is reviewed rather then call a player short when he may have well scored.
Perhaps video review in the NHL will continue to expand without disrupting the game. With advancing technology, it feels like only a matter of time.
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