In the NHL playoffs, which calls are reviewable, and how are officials assigned?

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The Athletic has answers to some of the more common questions (and complaints) about the way hockey games are called, and about the people whose job it is to call them. In its official rulebook for 2025-26, the NHL listed a roster of 70 officials (35 referees and 35 linespeople), with four (two referees, two linespeople) typically assigned to a game. Throughout the regular season, the league evaluates those 70 people and whittles the larger list down to the top 40 (20 referees paired with 20 linespeople). That is the officiating pool for the eight first-round series, with those paired crews shuttling between series on a game-to-game basis. Early on, the plan is for no two-person crew to work two games between the same two teams, though that can change based on the length of a series. Evaluation of officials continues throughout the postseason. For the four-series second record, the pool is cut to 24 (12 referees and 12 linespeople). For the two-series conference finals, it’s cut to 16. For the Stanley Cup Final, it’s cut to 10 officials (five referees, five linespeople), and the pair system is abandoned. In the late 1990s, the NHL started assigning a person to each series whose job was to act as a buffer between officials and teams. How much those supervisors are involved depends on the respective clubs. “It all depends on what the GM and coach want regarding how it goes during the series,” NHL’s senior executive vice president Colin Campbell told The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun in 2024. “If you don’t want us to talk to you, we’re not going to talk to you. We’re just available.” Most teams meet with the series supervisor on the morning of game days, although that also can vary. Typically, they’ll discuss trends, revisit controversial calls and incidents, and raise awareness over perceived issues in the series overall. In other words, if teams want to complain, this is their opportunity. Supervisors also meeting with referees and linespeople — remember, they typically change from game to game — and give them an idea of what to watch for on a given night. The NHL Situation Room in Toronto and an off-ice official, who is seated in the arena, review every goal — regular-season and postseason — whether it’s challenged or not. Typically, there’s no need for an expanded review. When there is, that’s communicated to the on-ice official, who in turn communicates it to fans. The Situation Room also watches for potential goals that were missed by the on-ice officials and can stop play for the replay accordingly. The Situation Room also has the final say. The most typical reasons to review a goal are to determine whether a player “deliberately propelled the puck with a kick of his foot or skate” into the net, which is not allowed, and if a player made contact with a puck above the net and knocked it into the net, which is not allowed. Here is a more general list of situations subject to review by the Situation Room, with some language directly from the NHL rulebook. • Did the puck cross the goal line? • Was the puck in the net prior to the goal frame being dislodged? • Was the puck in the net prior to (or after) the end of a period? • With the use of a foot/skate, was a “distinct kicking motion” evident? • Was the puck deliberately directed, batted, or thrown into the net by an attacking player by any means (and with any part of his body) other than with his stick? • Was the puck deflected directly into the net off an on-ice official? • Was the puck struck or deflected into the net with a high stick, above the height of the crossbar? • Did the puck enter the net in a proper manner through the goal mouth (as opposed to through the net meshing or underneath the net frame, etc.)? • Did the puck enter the net during a play when the referee blew a whistle after losing sight of the puck? • Was there a legitimate goal scored on a penalty shot? (i.e,, no double tap, goalkeeper throwing stick, goalkeeper dislodging goal, shooter cradling puck above the normal height of the shoulders, shooter performing illegal spin-o-rama move, skater’s continued forward advancement of puck, goalkeeper leaving crease prior to puck touch at center ice, etc.) Coaches can challenge “goal/no-goal” calls when they believe they were impacted by a missed offside call, a missed stoppage in play in the offensive zone or an incorrect application of the goalie interference rule. They can also challenge a call of “puck over glass” if they believe the puck hit a player, a stick or part of the glass/boards on the way out. As the rulebook states: “If a review is not conclusive and/or there is any doubt whatsoever as to whether the call on the ice was correct, the original call on the ice will be confirmed.” If a challenge isn’t successful, the challenging team serves a two-minute penalty. Any subsequent challenges by the same team will carry a four-minute, double-minor penalty. On appropriate plays at any time during the game, except during the final minute of regulation play and during overtime. In those instances, plays that would be subject to coach’s challenges are the purview of the Situation Room. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms