The Avalanche lost because a ref fell over and got hit by a puck, seriously

The Colorado Avalanche had rotten luck on Wednesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

A fluky play cost them a game they probably should’ve won.

With the Avs on a power play in the third period, tied 1-1 with the Maple Leafs, Toronto cleared the puck. It’s a sequence that happens all the time. Nothing to see here, right?

Wrong.

NHL referee Kelly Sutherland fell over in embarrassing fashion, losing an edge and stopping the clearing attempt with his body. Maple Leafs center Steven Lorentz scooped it up and beat Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood clean to make it 2-1 Toronto.

That ended up being the final score in a game in which Colorado outshot the Leafs by a margin of 39-26. They were the better team, but left the building with zero points.

Take a loot at the chaos for yourself.

THE REF FELL, STOPPED THE PUCK AND SET UP A LEAFS GOAL 🤯 pic.twitter.com/6ffQoPcOFU

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 20, 2025

It’s just an insanely frustrating way to lose a game, there’s no other way to slice it. The Avalanche currently trail the Dallas Stars by four points in the Central Division standings, with the two teams on a collision course in Round 1 of the playoffs.

With only 13 games now left in the regular season, the odds the Avs catch Dallas aren’t great. The Stars also have two games in hand.

If the Avalanche end up one or two points back of Dallas and have to go on the road for Game 1 of the postseason, this will be a moment we remember.

And it’s one official Kelly Sutherland would probably like to have back. His inability to stay upright hurt Colorado in a massive way.

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