Former NHL coach Dallas Eakins breaks down what goes into a coach’s challenge
On Friday night, Los Angeles Kings coach Jim Hiller challenged a goal from Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane.
The move ultimately backfired, with the goal counting to tie things up from there. From there, everything fell apart, and the Kings ultimately lost 7-4 – giving the Oilers their first win of the series.
Looking back, now that it’s 2-2, it’s a move that could have ultimately cost the Kings any momentum. On the latest episode of Daily Faceoff Live, long-time NHL coach Dallas Eakins joined Tyler Yaremchuk and Frank Seravalli to explain what goes into the decision to challenge a goal:
Tyler Yaremchuk: “You (coached) 404 games as an NHL bench boss. So I wanted to start and we’re gonna have a conversation here about the coach’s challenge, because Friday night, Jim Hiller decided to challenge a goal. That ends up being a series-altering moment for the LA Kings. You’ve been behind the bench in the coach’s challenge era. So I think maybe a good place to start. Can you maybe walk us through the process and what info Jim Hiller would have been getting in that moment?”
Dallas Eakins: “I’ve never been a big fan of the coach’s challenge. I like the game to happen organically. We’ve got great officials, and let it go from there. I detest how it slows down the game. But it is part of the game. When this happens, there’s a lot going on because you literally have 40 seconds from the time the referees signal that the next faceoff is going to happen to make your decision. And you’re taking in a whole lot of information.
“You’re looking at, No. 1, what just happened. What is the video coach that’s responsible for basically making the calls on these things? How’s that being relayed through the assistant coach? You’re trying to look at an iPad at your feet that’s got spit on it and you can barely see it. What’s the time of the game? What’s the score? How has your PK been hot? If you lose the challenge, how’s the other team’s power play? Are you at home or away? How’s it gonna affect your fans and your team one way or the other? But the biggest thing for me has always been, I’ve always said to the goalies: when the goal goes in, you’ve got to give me an indicator. No, maybe, or absolutely yes. And I always think the goalie is the best way to turn.”
You can watch the full episode below: