Nathan MacKinnon was ejected after a controversial collision with Connor Ingram, and Jared Bednar didn’t hold back after the Avalanche’s 4–3 loss to the Oilers.
DENVER — Tempers rarely spill over in a post-game press conference with Jared Bednar.
The Colorado Avalanche head coach is known for his composure — even after tough losses. But Tuesday night was different.
A controversial ejection of Nathan MacKinnon changed the entire complexion of the game, and by the time the final horn sounded at Ball Arena, frustration was written all over Colorado’s bench.
The Avalanche ultimately fell 4–3 to the Edmonton Oilers, but the defining moment came late in the second period when MacKinnon was handed a five-minute major for goaltender interference and a game misconduct after colliding with Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram.
It marked the first game misconduct of Nathan MacKinnon’s 931-game NHL career.
The sequence unfolded while Colorado trailed 2–1 on the power play. MacKinnon carried the puck into the offensive zone with speed before receiving an east-to-west pass from Martin Necas. His shot sailed wide of the net, and as he attempted to pursue the rebound, Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse closed in from behind.
Nurse made contact with MacKinnon’s left hip, altering his path as the Avalanche star tried to avoid the crease. With his skates angled left in an effort to steer clear of Ingram, MacKinnon instead lost his lane and crashed into the goaltender along the goal line. The collision knocked Ingram out of the game.
Officials assessed MacKinnon a major penalty and game misconduct, a ruling that stunned Colorado’s bench and ignited Bednar’s frustration afterward.
“[MacKinnon] makes the play on the puck, and I got his toes cutting up ice probably through the top of the paint, and Ingram’s on the goal line. There’s no chance that he hits the goalie if Nurse doesn’t run into him. He’s not hitting the goalie,” Bednar said.
“I don’t care if he’s injured, not injured, if it’s a severe crash, not a severe crash. It’s not a penalty,” Bednar said. “If you put guys in your own goalie, it’s not a penalty.”
Colorado managed to weather the storm despite losing its top center for the remainder of the game. The Avalanche successfully killed off the remaining 4:05 of the major penalty, and Valeri Nichushkin later pulled the game even with a third-period goal.
But Edmonton eventually broke through on the power play.
Connor McDavid finished off a give-and-go with Leon Draisaitl with 10:57 remaining in regulation, scoring what would stand as the game-winner. McDavid and Draisaitl each finished with two points, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins recorded two goals.
Ross Colton and Martin Necas also scored for Colorado, but the Avalanche absorbed another blow when Colton exited in the second period with an upper-body injury and did not return.
“He took a shot from a player during the game, and he kind of tightened up, so he’s got an upper-body injury. Hopefully he loosens up for tomorrow and can play in Seattle,” Bednar said.
Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood made the start for Colorado after being pulled two games earlier in Dallas. The night got off to a rocky start for the netminder, who allowed three goals on the first 10 shots he faced.
However, Blackwood stabilized as the game progressed and delivered several key stops — particularly during the lengthy penalty kill following MacKinnon’s ejection — to keep the Avalanche within striking distance. He finished with 20 saves.
Colorado had one final opportunity on the power play in the third period but could not capitalize. Necas’ earlier tally remained the Avalanche’s lone goal with the man advantage as they finished 1-for-3.
Colton opened the scoring just 24 seconds into the game, snapping a nine-game goalless drought.
While Colorado generated quality chances in the first and third periods, Bednar pointed to a sloppy stretch early in the second that created problems long before the controversial penalty.
“I’ll give you an example, three or four times at the start of the second period, we try to go in on a rush, and we lose it and change, and they get odd-man rushes and a scoring chance against,” Bednar said. “You can’t do that. You can’t do that against anybody, never mind the best offensive team in the league.”
Edmonton also finished the game with a depleted bench. In addition to losing Ingram, forward Colton Dach and defenseman Ty Emberson both left with injuries and did not return.
Still, the emotional pivot point of the night remained MacKinnon’s ejection. From that moment forward, the tone of the game shifted. The pace intensified, the physicality escalated, and tensions simmered on both benches.
Nazem Kadri also said he disagreed with the decision to assess MacKinnon a major penalty.
“I think Nate makes an effort. He’s diving across the top of the crease to try to get out of the way, like that’s a part of the rule for the player to at least make some sort of attempt. There was clear contact. I have no idea how that was a five-minute."
