Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was so eager to play the puck after his penalty expired that he forgot to leave the box… and had to go right back for another two minutes.
This situation is covered under rule 56.2:
A minor penalty shall be imposed on any identifiable player on the players’ bench or penalty bench who, by means of his stick or his body, interferes with the movements of the puck or any opponent on the ice during the progress of the play.
In addition, should a player about to come onto the ice, play the puck while one or both skates are still on the players’ or penalty bench, a minor penalty for interference shall be assessed.
While it doesn’t come up often, this has happened before. Winger Patrick Kane, then with the Chicago Blackhawks, picked up a minor penalty for playing the puck from the box, as did New York Islanders center Mat Barzal, Minnesota Wild winger Ryan Carter – who at least had one skate on the ice – and defenseman Dougie Hamilton a few years prior.
The Buffalo Sabres went on to shut out the Chicago Blackhawks in a 3-0 victory. Referees for the game were Garrett Rank (#7) and Brandon Blandina (#39), with linesmen Steve Barton (#59) and Brad Kovachik (#71).
