Bednar: Nothing wrong with Avs' OT winner
Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar saw nothing wrong with Nazem Kadri's overtime winner in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night.
"I saw it. I thought it was nothing, honestly. I thought that happens every second shift in the entire game," Bednar said, according to Postmedia's Michael Traikos.
Kadri broke into the offensive zone and went top-shelf to secure a 3-1 series lead, but controversy erupted after the game as it appeared Colorado had too many men on the ice due to a slow line change.
Here's the video from @SportsCenter pic.twitter.com/rqwMmIJcZD
- Ben Ross (@BenRossTweets) June 23, 2022
"That's part of the game. It's a fluid game. You're changing on the fly, everything happens," Bednar said. "You look at that clip, you back that clip up - and I did multiple times already to see exactly 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 a non-break. I actually see it as nothing."
Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said the non-call left him heartbroken for his players in a one-question postgame press conference. On Thursday, he apologized for his brief media availability and said the decision was "unfortunate, but it's water under the bridge now."
Jon Cooper apologizes for his media availability immediately following Game 4. pic.twitter.com/1KUi0ykGhk
- TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 23, 2022
The official game sheet listed six Avalanche skaters on the ice at the time of the goal, per Sports Illustrated's Mike Stephens. The league later changed it to five skaters.
NHL Hockey Operations said afterward that none of the four on-ice officials noticed a too many men infraction and that the play isn't reviewable, according to Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press.
Tampa Bay was on the opposite side of a similar controversy last postseason. During Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final, the New York Islanders were incensed after Ondrej Palat scored a pivotal goal with seven Lightning skaters on the ice.
The Avalanche and Lightning resume their series Friday night in Denver.
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