The Sabres and Senators were tied 1–1 when chaos and confusion led to a surprise goal. At one point, a player jumped to catch the puck with his hand, showing off a little extra skill. Things got physical after a big open-ice hit knocked one guy flat. His teammate stepped in to defend him, and soon everyone was tied up scrapping along the boards. But the puck stayed live. The referee never blew the whistle.
While most players milled around, an Ottawa skater picked up the puck and looked unsure if he was allowed to keep going. His captain yelled for him to go, so he pushed ahead. But a Sabres player quickly stole the puck, broke away, and scored. The Senators tried to protest, thinking play had stopped, but they had clearly been trying to score too. Their own guy was making a rush up ice. So when they got beat on a clean counterattack, they didn’t have much of an argument. The Sabres took the lead while everyone else stood around. One Senator could only laugh, realizing he got caught slipping.