The look of bewilderment on Jared Bednar’s face was palpable.
He watched Nathan MacKinnon crash into Edmonton Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram after contact with defenseman Darnell Nurse during a 4-3 loss Tuesday night at Ball Arena. He reviewed multiple angles of the play.
More than an hour after it happened, he still couldn’t understand how MacKinnon was ejected.
“The first thing I looked at for me, I look at the overhead (camera angle),” Bednar said. “He makes the play on the puck, and I’ve got his toes cutting up ice, probably through the top of the paint and Ingram’s on the goal line. I don’t think there’s a chance — there’s no chance that he hits the goalie if Nurse doesn’t run into him. He’s not hitting the goalie.
“I don’t care if he’s injured, not injured, (or) it’s a severe crash, not a severe crash. It’s not a penalty. If you put guys into your own goalie, it’s not a penalty. That’s the way I see it.”
MacKinnon was assessed a game misconduct after his collision with Ingram late in the second period. Because the officials called it a major penalty on the ice, they reviewed the play. It was the longest review of the season in an Avs game.
The call was upheld — a five-minute penalty and an ejection. Bednar was not happy with the explanation he received.
“No,” Bednar said. “Well, not a good one. The goalie is hurt, so it’s five? Again, I don’t really give a crap if their goalie is hurt. That’s on their D-man, not our guy.”
Cale Makar (8) of the Colorado Avalanche controls the puck as Connor McDavid (97) of the Edmonton Oilers chases during the third period of the Oilers’ 4-3 win at Ball Arena on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
‘He’s not going to cut into a goalie like that’
Bednar wasn’t alone. Avalanche players were frustrated shortly after the loss.
Colorado finished the game with just 10 forwards because Ross Colton was injured midway through the game and MacKinnon was not allowed to play the final 20:35.
“I don’t think he tried to take the goalie out,” Avs goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood said. “His route was good. He was mid-to-high crease and he was kind of leaned on. I don’t think it was a five. Maybe a two, but I don’t know.”
Avs star Cale Makar was on the ice when the play occurred, and, with captain Gabe Landeskog out of the lineup, discussed it with the officials.
“I haven’t really seen it,” Avs star Cale Makar said. “It’s tough, because Nate is one of those guys … he’s got some of the best spatial awareness in the league. He’s not going to cut into the goalie like that.
“The explanation we got from the refs was that (Nurse) didn’t nudge him enough into the goalie — he was taking his route there already. Obviously, there’s a lot of grey area in that, but I can’t comment on it too much because I haven’t looked at it yet.”
This is the second game misconduct of MacKinnon’s career. He was driving hard to the net with Colorado on the power play. Brock Nelson had the puck on the left wing and tried to hit MacKinnon with a pass near the right post.
The pass didn’t connect, then Nurse made contact with MacKinnon, who went flying into Ingram.
“Not when there’s contact (from the defenseman) in the crease,” Nazem Kadri said when asked if he’d ever seen a major penalty for goalie interference. “Clearly, I think Nate makes an effort. He’s diving across the top of the crease to try to get out of the way. That’s a part of the rule for the player to at least make some sort of attempt. There was clear contact (from Nurse), and I have no idea how that was a five minute (penalty).”
A frustrating result
The last period of this game was chaotic. Colorado tied the game. Edmonton retook the lead and held on.
In between, the Ball Arena patrons were merciless in their jeering of the officials. Players from both sides threw their hands up in the air at times, the unofficial signal for “that’s a penalty.”
After the game, both Bednar and Kadri clearly weren’t happy with the work from the guys in stripes — and not just the decision to eject the team’s leading scoring and league MVP candidate on an unusual and controversial call.
“I think we had a good push, but obviously there were a couple more, you know, questionable calls,” Kadri said. “I think it was a little lopsided tonight in terms of that.”
“It was a great game up until (the MacKinnon penalty). It was a good battle out there. Players were playing hard. It’s unfortunate that’s how it’s got to end.”
Added Bednar: “I’m not going to make it about the officiating, but it’s part of the game. We were shorthanded, taking slashes and it’s not called. We’re going to look away. Then Nelson dances a guy in the neutral zone and gets tripped … like, that’s what the penalties are for.
“If someone makes a high-skill play, McDavid beats one of our guys and we put a stick on him in the wrong spot or we hook, hold, whatever it is, the officiating is supposed to reward the skill. And they were going to call everything but the stuff when a guy makes a high-skill play and gets into a dangerous spot. I just don’t get it. That’s my frustration.”
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