“See it as nothing” – Avalanche coach Jared Bednar states there was nothing wrong with Nazem Kadri’s OT goal
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Avalanche coach Jared Bednar says there's nothing wrong with Kadri's OT goal
Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar noted that there was “nothing” concrete to the controversy surrounding Nazem Kadri’s game-winning goal in Avalanche’s 3-2 overtime victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Kadri’s score gave the Avalanche an edge of a 3-1 series lead with a chance to close the Lightning out in Game 5 of Friday.
After the game on Wednesday night, Lightning coach Jon Cooper was the first to point out the injustice with Kadri’s shot. He stated that his goal shouldn’t have counted. In a video, it was shown that too many men were present during Kadri’s goal on the ice and that it was Kadri who made an improper line change seconds before Nathan MacKinnon went back to the bench.
Bednar clearly states that there was nothing wrong with the OT win on Wednesday
Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar stated that he has watched the video replay, and didn’t see anything wrong with how the team executed the OT goal. As per thescore.com, he commented on Nazem Kadri’s shot, “I thought it was nothing, honestly,” he said Thursday. “That’s part of the game. It’s a fluid game. You’re changing on the fly, everything happens. You look at that clip, you back that clip up — and I did multiple times just to see what they were talking about — and Tampa’s got two guys jumping on with their D coming off the ice from a zone away. I count 7-6 at one point. So that is what it is. That’s the way the game is played. I don’t see it as a break or no-break. I see it as nothing.”
But Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper felt differently. Though initially, it looked like they had a point as the NHL sheet listed six players on ice from the Avalanche side. Later the sheet only showed five players which ignited the doubts in everyone’s mind. According to the NHL organization, too many men penalty judgment calls are made by the officials, and it’s not something reviewable.
The National Hockey League noted, “Following the game, Hockey Operations met with the four officials as is their normal protocol”. “In discussing the winning goal, each of the four officials advised that they did not see a too-many-men-on-the-ice situation on the play. This call is not subject to video review either by Hockey Ops or the on-ice officials.”
Cooper on the other hand stated that the non-call left him heartbroken for his players. But on Thursday he apologized for his brief conference time and said that the decision was “unfortunate, but it’s water under the bridge now”. He continued, “So that mountain’s a little bit higher. Well, at least we’re still climbing. We’re not out. [We were down] 3-1, 3-2 to Toronto. What the hell’s the difference?”. “We still have to go on the road and win a hockey game. We were going to have to win a game on the road regardless. We didn’t have home ice. So why not tomorrow?”
During the last postseason, the Tampa Bay Lightning were involved in a similar controversy. During the Eastern Conference Finals in Game 2, the New York Islanders incensed that Ondrej Palat scored a pivotal goal with 7 Lightning skaters on the ice. The situation now must feel like a deja vu for the Lightning, but now standing on the opposite side. The Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning will resume their unfinished battle on Friday, at Denver.
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Kaushani Chatterjee
(2140 Articles Published)