No one was happier than Steven Lorentz during the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Colorado Avalanche clash. “I’ll take that bounce,” Lorentz said in a post-match interview with a smile plastered across his face. And why wouldn’t he? How many in your career does an accidental fall give you the puck on a platter, with barely any defensemen to cover the goaltender?

So Lorentz took the shot during the counter-attack that broke the 1-1 stalemate between the Maple Leafs and the Avalanche. Yet, you won’t be wrong to call that counter-attack a surprise attack because no one saw it coming. “Oh man. You can’t possibly make this up,” said one commentator after he saw referee Kelly Sutherland fall on the ice, inadvertently setting up the Maple Leafs goal.

The game-changing mistake happened when Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit “air-mailed” the puck in a desperate clearance attempt. However, Sutherland lost his balance and fell. Despite his effort to avoid the puck, it hit him square on the torso, giving Lorentz the chance he needed. Needless to say, Colorado Avalanche fans and even the hockey community at large weren’t pleased.

“Refs impacting the play are always so frustrating to watch,” complained one fan, who saw the puck initially rise in the air, as Sutherland tried to duck under in vain. Even the commentators didn’t know what to make of it. “I think he thought that puck was going high… I mean, that’s the only thing I can think of,” explained one of the commentators.

Meanwhile, Steven Lorentz couldn’t believe his luck when the freak incident happened. “I was heading to the bench for a change and saw the puck just lying there, so I thought ‘what the heck,’ might as well go down,” said the Toronto Maple Leafs center. However, most fans didn’t agree with the sequence of events and how the Maple Leafs got that goal. Many thought something should’ve been done.

Fans couldn’t accept how the Colorado Avalanche lost

Some fans expressed their frustration at the lack of action after the mishap. “This should be a dead play, but whatever,” commented one netizen. You may be wondering something along similar lines. Why didn’t the referee pause the play if he accidentally set up the match-winning goal? Unfortunately, the rules surrounding such an outcome are murky.

Referee Kelly Sutherland went down in the neutral zone and since the puck didn’t deflect off him into the net, it couldn’t be disallowed. It’s not feasible for the NHL to make special rules for such rare, unforeseen incidents. Hence, the play continued. Yet, fans still thought that existing rules could be adjusted to level the playing field for the Colorado Avalanche.

“Avalanche should be offered a free penalty shot if a ref impacts the play to benefit one team significantly. Obviously, this stuff doesn’t happen enough to make a rule but it’s not fair, LOL,” an ice hockey enthusiast suggested. Meanwhile, others couldn’t even fathom what they had just seen. “What a wildly unlikely turn of events,” one netizen wrote in disbelief.

What’s more astonishing? Another referee-related issue happened in a different NHL match. Earlier, Chicago Blackhawks coach Anders Sorensen and player Nick Foligno expressed their displeasure at a referee possibly costing them a goal. Referee Pierre Lambert got on top of the net to get a better view of the puck in a hectic scramble for a goal.

The Blackhawks didn’t get their goal. Meanwhile, “Foligno was upset about referee Pierre Lambert getting on top of the net on this play, blocking the overhead camera view,” said reporter Ben Pope. However, every fan didn’t express their frustration at Sutherland in the Colorado Avalanche game. Some showed empathy. “So sorry for the referee, but I salute,” commented one fan.

“Fell down and stood up at the same sec,” the fan added, praising the referee’s efforts to avoid a mishap. Yet, what do you think of the situation? Do you believe Kelly Sutherland was at fault? Tell us in the comments.