I have studied the NHL rulebook once more. I have learned the following things, which I will paraphrase. You may read the rulebook yourself if you want the precise language. I see no reason to copy/paste it here.
Rule 20.6 and 21.5
Any time an on-ice referee calls a major penalty or a match penalty (game misconduct), they must immediately do a video review of their own call. The situation room in Toronto can only help with providing video, and can’t help in decision making. After reviewing video of their own call they can either let the call stand or reduce it to a lesser penalty, but not cancel it altogether.
Rule 37.1 and 37.2
There are on-ice officials. There are in-arena off-ice video goal judges. There is a situation room (Toronto). Every single goal in every NHL game is reviewed by the situation room. All of them.
If the situation room notices an issue with a goal, they will delay the restart of play until they figure it out. If play hasn’t stopped (on-ice refs missed a goal), then they wait until the next stoppage of play.
Let’s say team A scores, everyone misses it, play continues, and team B scores. The situation room takes a look. They get it right and Team A’s goal counts. The clocks wind back to the time team A scored, and team B’s goal never happened.
However, let’s say team A scores, everyone misses it, play continues. Then a player on team A or B commits a penalty. When play stops they find out that team A scored. Team A gets a point, the clocks wind back, but the penalty stays even though the game time at which the penalty was committed was erased with time travel. I do not know what the time of the penalty will be recorded as on the score sheet.
Rule 37.3
There are a long list of things that the situation will be looking for when reviewing goals.
Did it cross the line, did it get in before the net came off, was it deflected into the goal off of a ref, did it go through the mesh of the net somehow instead of through the front, etc.
Rule 37.5
This one is relevant to the Rangers vs. Penguins series. You can’t score a goal by batting the puck into the net with a high stick. What does that actually mean? It means that a puck goes into the net after being hit by a stick. The stick not only has to be above the crossbar, but also the point of contact between the puck and stick has to be above the crossbar. If half the stick is above the crossbar, but the puck hits the lower half of the stick and goes in, that’s a good goal.
Rule 38 - Coach’s Challenge
There are only three scenarios under which a coach can challenge a goal.
- Play was off-sides
- Something happened before the goal was scored that should have stopped play, but the refs didn’t stop play.
- Goaltender interference.
Coach’s challenges can be initiated by the coach. However, during the last minute of the third period, or during any overtime, the league itself will initiate coach’s challenges for the three scenarios listed above.
During coaches challenge situations, regardless of who initiates the challenge, the “NFL Standard” applies. The call on the ice will stand unless there is irrefutable and conclusive evidence that the call on the ice was wrong. The situation room and on-ice officials work together to get the call right.
Scott’s Note
The language pertaining to irrefutable and conclusive evidence to overturn calls on the ice does not appear in relation to other reviews that are not coach’s challenges. So for all those other goal-reviewing reasons, such as distinct kicking motion, it’s just up to the officials to review the video and determine the correct call. It doesn’t matter what the call on the ice was.