Oilers have chance to tie series

Edmonton cut its series deficit to 2-1 on a goal disputed by Carolina.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- Nothing gets things stirred up like a disputed goal.
It's game on at the Stanley Cup finals after Ryan Smyth won Game 3 for Edmonton by rather questionable means, giving the Oilers a chance to even the series with the Carolina Hurricanes on home ice tonight.
During an off day, both teams were still getting plenty of questions about Smyth's goal with just over two minutes remaining, giving the Oilers a 2-1 victory Saturday and reducing Carolina's lead in the best-of-seven finals to the same margin.
From Edmonton's perspective, it was a gritty, blue-collar thing of beauty.
From the Hurricanes' point of view, the puck wound up in the net because Smyth interfered with goalie Cam Ward.
Leave it to wily veteran Mike Peca of the Oilers to sum things up best: "If I was on the other side, it would be easy to complain about that play. If I'm on the team that scores the goal, I think it's a good play."
Crunch time
With the clock winding down and overtime looming, Edmonton's Alex Hemsky got off a shot from the right circle that was blocked by Ward. The rookie goalie couldn't control the rebound, however, and Smyth crashed the net looking to get a piece of the puck, a trademark play for the rugged forward who's known for scoring ugly goals.
At that point, things get a little fuzzy. Ward swiped at the puck, which appeared to bounce off Smyth's chest and may have caught the shaft of his stick as well. Somehow, it got under the fallen Ward and slowly crossed the line, just inside the right post.
When referee Mick McGeough gave the signal for a goal from behind the net, Smyth was clearly in the crease and hovering above Ward, who took a whack at the Edmonton player's legs out of frustration.
At one time, the NHL players were strictly forbidden from being in the crease when a goal was scored and enforced the rule with video replay. But that was changed after the 1999 Stanley Cup finals, when Brett Hull scored a triple-overtime, series-winning goal for Dallas even though a replay showed a skate in the crease.
Officials reviewed goal
Smyth's goal was reviewed by the replay officials, who correctly ruled the puck crossed the line and that the Edmonton player didn't do anything illegal to direct it into the net.
So, did Smyth interfere with the goalie? Well, that's not one of the seven things that fall under the purview of the replay officials. The two referees are the only ones who can make that call, and they didn't feel Smyth made enough contact with Ward in the crease to prevent him from attempting a save.
"The puck was batted out of the air by the goalie, it bounced off the Edmonton player and went into the net," said Stephen Walkom, the league's director of officiating. "It may seem basic, but that's exactly what happened."
Carolina's Rod Brind'Amour was especially upset by the call, remembering a similar play that went against him during the opening-round series against Montreal.
In Game 4, he knocked a rebound past Cristobal Huet, but one of the refs ruled that Brind'Amour's positioning in the crease hindered the goalie's ability to make the save.
"The goalie has to be able to make a move to stop the puck if you are in the crease, and you can't impede that," Brind'Amour recalled. "That was the explanation when our goal was disallowed. Then, when you look at that [ruling on Smyth's goal], you say, 'Well, how is that the same?' That's the only question."
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