Avalanche’s Jared Bednar on goal after Scott Wedgewood injury: It makes no sense

Jared Bednar knows his bank account is going to take a hit in the coming days and, in his own words, he doesn’t care.

Bednar came out after Colorado’s incredible 6-5 win Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabers at Ball Arena. His anger was directed at a Buffalo goal that was allowed despite Avs goalie Scott Wedgewood writhing in pain in his net as he was scored early in the third period.

Sabers forward Zach Benson was pushed into the Colorado net and Wedgewood fell backwards on top of him. With Wedgewood lying on the ice, Benson finally got the puck and scored on a wraparound goal to give the Sabers a 4-2 lead.

“The referee said (the whistle) wasn’t blown because we put their guy on Scott,” Bednar said. “I said, ‘I don’t care (expletive). He is injured. They are there. He’s sitting there. He is injured. Blow the whistle.

“If the puck is still in front of the net and they cut it and it goes in, I would say great. But as soon as the puck springs into the corner, they have to blast it. They do this all the time for regular players for security reasons. The rule would say we have to touch it, but they never follow that rule.

Bednar said he wasn’t particularly angry with officials TJ Luxmore and Corey Syvret, but rather with the inconsistency of when guys in pinstripes do or don’t blow out players due to injuries. He pointed out that this game was stopped when Mikko Rantanen and Rasmus Dahlin collided in the neutral zone and the Buffalo captain remained on the ice.

He also noted a play two games ago when Cale Makar was about to line up a shot, but an opposing player was on the ice in the slot, so the play was stopped.

“If he’s injured and he doesn’t get up and they stand there looking at him, the whistle should blow. It’s that simple,” Bednar said. “For me to let go and allow the goal is crazy to me. It’s a player safety issue. If they charged Dahlin for a one-timer, for a 105 mile-an-hour slap shot, they’re just going to let that (expletive) happen with our goalie in the net? I can’t do it. I have to blow it up.

Avs defenseman Devon Toews, who scored the game-winning goal in the first minute of overtime, also cited player safety as the main reason the game should have been stopped before the goal was scored.

There was a long delay after the goal while Wedgewood was treated on the ice. He was unable to put weight on his right leg as he was helped to the locker room. Bednar said Wedgewood needs to be evaluated, but he will miss time.

When the officials were ready to resume play, Bednar challenged the play for goaltender obstruction — even though he knew that wasn’t the case.

“Yes, it gives them another chance to do the right thing,” Bednar said when asked if it was done in protest. “The goal shouldn’t have counted. Yeah, I was mad so…we just did it.

When asked if there was any recourse for the Avalanche after the fact, Bednar acknowledged he would likely be fined by the NHL for his postgame rant.

“We’ll call the league,” Bednar said. “After this press conference, I’m sure I’ll get a call from the league. I don’t care. It wasn’t a difficult decision. Again, I’m not picking on the guys who were there tonight. Any of the four guys could look at him and just report.

“It’s not just that it went in. How long are you going to let him go? They talk about player safety, player safety. If they pass him to the slot and someone snatches a one-timer, then what? …Just make the call. They blew it on plays like that when guys go down like that in the neutral zone, but they’re not going to do it to your goaltender? This doesn’t make any sense.

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Originally published: January 2, 2025 at 11:20 p.m. MST