Toronto Maple Leafs center Steven Lorentz scored a shorthanded goal with an unintentional assist from a falling referee during Wednesday night's NHL game against Colorado.
It happened nearly three minutes into the third period during an Avalanche powert play with the game tied at 1-1. Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit cleared the puck down the ice from behind the net. Referee Kelly Sutherland, near center ice, saw the puck in the air and thought it was coming at his head, so he dropped to the ice. Unfortunately, he fell right into the path of the puck, stopping it near the boards.
Lorentz saw the opportunity, chased down the puck, skated across the Avs blue line and beat goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood with a wrist shot into the upper right corner of the net to give the Maple Leafs a 2-1 lead.
Steven Lorentz nets one with a perfect set up by … the ref?! 😂 pic.twitter.com/gdXHYxFQ9d
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 20, 2025
As luck would have it, this is not Sutherland's first "assist". Back in 2016, he accidentally kicked the puck in front of an empty net, setting up Jaden Schwartz with an easy goal. Now this.
Neither team scored after that, and the Maple Leafs held on for the 2-1 victory. We can only imagine how Sutherland feels after this play decided the game.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
