The clay-court season has moved on to its prestigious Grand Slam, the French Open, but for Jessica Pegula, her heart is often tied to the ice and turf of Western New York. As the heiress to the family that owns the Buffalo Sabres, Pegula frequently cheers for the team alongside fans. However, a recent morning post from the world No. 5 about a controversial referee call sparked a wave of internet backlash, forcing Pegula to play defense and telling raging hockey fans to “relax.”
Jessica Pegula Clarifies Controversial Call Comments to Silence Angry Fans
On Tuesday night, the Buffalo Sabres’ playoff hopes were tested on the ice.
The Sabres, owned by Pegula’s parents, faced a do-or-die Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens. After falling into a 2-0 hole early in the game, Buffalo fought back to tie the score in the third period. Halfway through the final frame, Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram fired a shot from the point. Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobeš made the initial save, but the puck trickled across the goal line.
Buffalo fans thought it was a goal, but the referee, losing sight of the puck and assuming Dobeš had it securely trapped, had blown the whistle before the puck actually crossed the line. And the potential game-winning goal was immediately waved off, leaving Buffalo players and fans disappointed.
Waking up to the news of the Sabres’ crushing moment, Pegula, who is in Paris for the Roland Garros, saw the video of the disallowed goal and reposted it with a simple caption: “Waking up to see this video. Wow.”
But hockey fans assumed she was fiercely criticizing the officiating or complaining that the Sabres were deliberately robbed. And Pegula had to jump back online to set the record straight:
“I didn’t actually say anything about the call but everyone in my comments is raging. I just said it sucks to wake up and see it. Sucks to see them think they won but didn’t… whether you think it was right or wrong. Everyone relax lol.”
Waking up to see this video. Wow. https://t.co/dOz1uS3CSn
— Jessie Pegula (@JPegula) May 19, 2026
The Sabres were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs with this 3–2 overtime loss to the Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Second Round. Despite the crushing exit, their 2025–26 campaign was actually a breakout triumph, as the team finally ended its historic 13-year playoff drought by winning the Atlantic Division title under returning head coach Lindy Ruff.
Meanwhile, Pegula is in the thick of the European clay-court swing. Just days before, at the 2026 Italian Open in Rome, she bowed out in the quarterfinals to world No. 3 Iga Świątek. Now, the American is already on the ground in Paris for the ongoing 2026 French Open. Seeded fifth at Roland Garros, she will begin her campaign next week as the main draws start on May 24.
