Toronto, you got some ’splaining to do.
At least that was the reaction out of the Islanders dressing room Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum after an overtime goal that would have given them a much-needed two points was inexplicably overturned and led to a 4-3 shootout loss to the Blues.
Even worse for the Islanders, the man who originally was credited with the goal, Thomas Vanek, went a step further as to indict the NHL headquarters in Toronto as making the decision based on the fact it was the Islanders who were in line for the win.
“My skate never elevated, it was on the ice the whole time,” Vanek said. “Just got lucky there, it hit my skate blade and spun right in.”
Then came the kicker for the man who has been with the Islanders since coming over in a trade with the Sabres on Oct. 29.
“I don’t know if it’s because who we are,” Vanek said. “I think if that’s Pittsburgh or one of those top teams, it’s maybe a goal. I don’t know. To me, it’s just a terrible call. I thought we played a solid game against a really good St. Louis team, and for that to be overturned, it’s just too bad.”
The play happened with the Islanders on a 4-on-3 man-advantage and 1:15 remaining in the extra period. Frans Nielsen threw the puck to the front of the net, and as Vanek charged to the crease, the puck bounced off his right skate, went to his left skate and caromed underneath the pads of goalie Jaroslav Halak.
According to the release from the league after the goal, “Vanek used his left skate to kick the puck into the St. Louis net,” thus breaking rule 49.2, using a “distinct kicking motion to propel the puck into the net.”
“To me, the referees made the right call on the ice, I’ll say that,” a politically correct Jack Capuano said after. “It’s their decision in Toronto, obviously. They must have seen something conclusive to overturn it.”
Asked about Vanek’s comments concerning the Islanders slighting, Capuano gave a very clear answer by giving a no-answer.
“I’m not going to comment on that,” he said, just before walking out.
When captain John Tavares was asked about the semi-conspiracy theory, he told The Post, “I certainly don’t hope it’s that way. … I think mostly you want a real good explanation of why that doesn’t count, and you want to see the consistency.”
The fact is the Islanders (21-25-8) never should have been in this position to begin with, having held leads of 2-0 and 3-2 over the powerhouse Blues (35-11-5). They even had that last one-goal margin with just under 30 seconds left in regulation and the Blues’ goal empty, just before T.J. Oshie — the St. Louis forward who beat out Kyle Okposo for the U.S. Olympic team and who had hit three posts thus far through the game — circled through the high slot and fired one through traffic, beating Kevin Poulin blocker side to tie it, 3-3.
“We had the lead with [30] seconds left,” Tavares said, “and didn’t get the job done.”
This is the second game in a row and the third time in the past five games the Islanders have had 2-0 leads and lost the game. After Vanek and Kyle Okposo staked them to that lead in the first period, they were negated by two goals from talented 22-year-old Vladimir Tarasenko. Then Matt Martin gave the Isles a 3-2 lead early in the second, which held up until the late goal from Oshie — and until the men in front of screen in Toronto decided that Vanek kicked it in.
That paved the way for Kevin Shattenkirk to get the winner in the skills competition and send the Islanders away frustrated and disgruntled.
“There are certainly times when you feel like we don’t get the calls,” Tavares said. “I’ve come to accept that we’re still a young, proving team, and I don’t look at it as the refs or the league are trying to be biased. I think that’s the wrong way to look at things.”