A moment involving Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart during Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night became a point of discussion.

 Some fans watching the game believed Hart played the puck in an area behind his net where goaltenders are not allowed to go. But still, no penalty was called, and officials let the play continue without any review.

The discussion spread quickly online with fans sharing clips and asking why nothing was called. Several users also pointed out that a similar play had gone unpenalized earlier in the series.

"Carter Hart just played the puck in the restricted zone for the 2nd straight game. No call again."

Carter Hart had joined the Golden Knights after several seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers. Because he uses his stick so often, fans tend to pay close attention when he plays the puck in tight spots behind the net.

In the NHL, goaltenders can only handle the puck behind their net inside a trapezoid-shaped area painted on the ice. So if they play the puck outside that zone, behind the goal line, the referee can call a two-minute minor penalty. 

The rule has been there since 2005. The problem is that it can be hard to judge it in real time. Officials saw nothing worth penalizing in this game.

This kind of debate is pretty common in playoff hockey. The bigger the game, the more the discussion. Goaltenders who handle the puck as regularly as Hart fall victim to this kind of attention.

Fans debate the play online

Social media users were divided on what they had actually seen. Some were really confident that Hart had been outside the trapezoid. Others were not so sure about what they saw, 

"He doesn't know boundaries, it's his entire personality,” one fan says, and another adds, "He's good at breaking the boundaries and getting away with it."

Both comments show that Hart had regularly played around with the rules and that it's pretty common for him.

A fan opposes, "At this point, they won't call it, unfortunately." 

Another fan adds to it, "Carter Hart not understanding a boundary? shocking…"

One more tried their best to defend him, "Camera angle was deceptive. He didn't actually handle the puck in the restricted area. Too bad we only agreed on the last one."

Another simply stated, "Noticed this, way out of the trapezoid."

Amid all this discussion, the Stanley Cup Final is now tied with 2-2 after Carolina's 5-3 win in Game 4. And Game 5 moves to Raleigh on Thursday.

Read more at NHL Fan Central!

Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason