Sabres Score ‘Own Goal’ in Another Delayed-Penalty Blunder During Loss vs. Utah

The Buffalo Sabres managed to outdo themselves on Thursday night, committing a nearly identical blunder to one they made just two weeks ago.

After doing something similar against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Sabres doubled down on their bizarre power-play woes by scoring on their own empty net during a delayed penalty on Thursday.

This time, it happened late in a 5–2 loss to the Utah Hockey Club, in a game Buffalo had been pushing to tie late. With under two minutes remaining and Utah clinging to a 3–2 lead, Buffalo pulled goalie James Reimer for an extra attacker.

As Utah's Kevin Stenlund was assessed a high-sticking penalty, the Sabres retained possession, but rather than forcing a whistle and going to a 6-on-4 power play, Tage Thompson sent a pass backward that missed teammate Rasmus Dahlin and slid the length of the ice into the Sabres' own net.

— BarDown (@BarDown) March 21, 2025

"It was kind of a scrambly play and I was just kind of filling a spot," Thompson said after the game. "We get the puck and I wasn't really aware there was a delayed call. Had that been the case then, yeah, I probably would have just tried to attack or shoot and make them touch it.

"So, bad play by me and even worse result."

It marked the second time in as many weeks that Buffalo botched a delayed penalty situation. In a recent loss to Tampa Bay, they failed to generate any pressure during a 6-on-4 scenario.

The Sabres thought a Lightning player had touched the puck on a delayed penalty in the game played on March 7, but the whistle didn't blow, and the Sabres wasted time doing nothing.

"We've gone over this," head coach Lindy Ruff said postgame. "The Tampa game was the same. I don't know if [Thompson] realized whether they were getting a penalty, but just chalk another one up."

Stenlund, who had been on his way to the box, was credited with the goal as the last Utah player to touch the puck. Instead of a power play with a chance to tie, Buffalo fell behind 4–2 and never recovered.

The Sabres sit last in the Eastern Conference standings with 60 points in 67 games and a 27-34-6 record. Buffalo, still not eliminated from playoff contention, is nearly a lock to miss the postseason for the 14th time in a row.

Across all four major North American sports leagues, that is matched only by the New York Jets, whose postseason drought is also at 14 seasons.