Typically if a player kicks the puck and it ends up in the back of the net, the goal is disallowed. There are exceptions to that rule though, as Colorado’s Nick Holden demostrated during today’s game against St. Louis.
With the Avalanche already up 2-0 in the second period, Blues goaltender Ryan Miller coughed up a juicy rebound and Holden charged the crease, knocking the puck in with his skate. After a lengthy review, the goal counted:
As touched on at the end of the video, the puck actually hits Blues forward Steve Ott’s stick before crossing the line.
As NHL.com pointed out, Rule 49.2 states, “A kicked puck that deflects off the stick of any player (excluding the goalkeeper’s stick) shall be ruled a good goal.”
In other words, had Ott not attempted to stop the goal with his stick, Holden’s wouldn’t have ended up with the marker.