This is encouraging...
NHL general managers on Thursday were considering recommending a penalty be called when a coach loses a challenge of a goal scored off a play that may have been offside.
The GMs would propose a two-minute minor penalty for delay of game instead of losing the timeout, as the current rule stipulates.
The hope from the GMs perspective is the potential of a minor penalty would reduce the times a coach uses his challenge to initiate a review for offside.
There were 131 offside challenges this season, a 32 percent increase from last season.
“Tapping”
The GMs also discussed encouraging the officials to be more vigilant in calling slashing penalties when a player uses his stick to hit an opposing player on or near the hands. This is not a rule change, so it doesn't need further approval.
It is merely an encouragement for the officials to call the penalty more than they do now.
Campbell said the NHL Hockey Operations Department analyzed four Stanley Cup Playoff games, the Memorial Cup Final and the NCAA Frozen Four championship game and found that there were
60-110 slashes per game.
Rule Changes
The GMs were informed that the Board of Governors approved two rule changes for next season during their meeting in Las Vegas on Wednesday:
1) No timeout will be granted following an icing for the team that committed the icing infraction (Rule 87).
2) A neutral-zone faceoff will take place when a player on a team that has a power play strikes the puck with a high stick in the offensive zone (Rule 80.4).
https://www.nhl.com/news/two-minute-...ge/c-290078514
