Nathan MacKinnon was given a major penalty and ejected from Tuesday’s game after crashing into Edmonton Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram. In the postgame press conference, Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar did not mince his words.
The Avalanche and the Oilers are two of the top teams in the Western Conference, and Tuesday’s clash was a hard-fought one. The Oilers eventually came out on top, winning 4–3. It was a good comeback for Edmonton, who lost 9–1 in the teams’ last matchup.
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Connor McDavid game winning goal
The game-winning goal came from Connor McDavid halfway through the third period. It was a real beauty, as McDavid spun around his defender before receiving a pass from Leon Draisaitl and scoring.
“It was an exciting game. They came out flying. They scored on the first shift, and we responded nicely a couple of times. I think the goal at the end of the first period was huge, with Roslovic scoring that,” Oilers head coach Chris Knoblauch told NHL.com after the game.
Nathan MacKinnon major penalty call
Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar was not as pleased after the game. Nathan MacKinnon was assessed a five-minute major penalty and ejected late in the second period after crashing into Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram. Ingram also had to leave the game and enter concussion protocol.
In the postgame press conference, Bednar said he did not understand why MacKinnon was ejected, claiming MacKinnon was pushed into the crease by Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse.
“I got his toes cutting up ice, probably through the top of the paint, and Ingram is on the goal line. There’s no chance he hits the goalie if Nurse doesn’t run into him. If you put guys into your own goalie, it’s not a penalty,” Bednar said.
Jared Bednar’s hard words
He was then asked about the explanation the officials gave for MacKinnon’s ejection.
“Not a good one. The goalie’s hurt, so it’s five. Again, I really don’t give a crap if the goalie’s hurt. That’s on their d-man, not on our guy,” Bednar said.
You can watch the press conference below.
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