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Should Bruins’ 3-0 goal have counted in Game 3?

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Sean Kuraly fires a shot that goes through the legs of Blues' Alex Pietrangelo and through the whickets of Jordan Binnington. The goal is confirmed after a challenge by St. Louis for an offsides.

The St. Louis Blues enter the first intermission with a miserable feeling, and not just because the score is 3-0 in favor of the Boston Bruins.

There was a tough call on Sean Kuraly’s 3-0 goal, as the Blues opted for an offside review revolving around whether or not Joakim Nordstrom was offside as he battled for the puck with Joel Edmundson.

Either way, it’s not the greatest goal for Jordan Binnington to allow, as The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford also notes.

As is often the case with these goal review situations, it was all very close, to the point that people went with the old standby of looking at replays frame by frame, “Zapruder film"-style. Ultimately, the league ruled that Kuraly’s goal was a good goal, explaining that Edmundson handled the puck. Here’s how the league worded the ruling:

After reviewing all available replays and consulting with the Linesmen, the Situation Room confirmed that St. Louis defenseman Joel Edmundson passed the puck back into his own defending zone prior to the goal. The decision was made in accordance with Rule 83.1 which states, in part, “If a player legally carries or passes the puck back into his own defending zone while a player of the opposing team is in such defending zone, the off-side shall be ignored and play permitted to continue.”

This ruling serves as a double whammy for the Blues, as the goal stands, while the failed review also gives the Bruins a power play opportunity.

It came in the dying seconds of the first period, so the Bruins had close to a full power play opportunity to begin the second period, and David Pastrnak scored to make it 4-0. Brutal stretch for the Blues.

If the Blues are going to get back into Game 3, they’ll need things to go a lot better than they have through the first 23 minutes or so. This contest is currently airing on NBCSN and the NBC Sports app.

James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.