TAMPA, Fla. — Avalanche coach Jared Bednar twice on Thursday morning dismissed Tampa Bay’s complaint that the winning overtime goal in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Wednesday night should not have counted.
“I thought it was nothing, honestly,” Bednar said before the team boarded its charter flight back to Denver. “That happens every second shift the entire game.”
Lightning coach Jon Cooper, in his brief postgame news conference late Wednesday, said “my heart breaks for the players because we probably still should be playing.” He walked out without explaining what he meant, but on Thursday he confirmed that he thought the officials missed an Avalanche too-many-men penalty before Nazem Kadri’s overtime goal gave Colorado a 3-2 victory and 3-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final.
Videos and still pictures show Kadri made a shift change with Nathan MacKinnon and Kadri may have jumped onto the ice outside the 5-feet maximum distance between them. And when Kadri had the puck and was attacking the net, MacKinnon’s skates were still on the ice as he faced the bench.
Technically, MacKinnon must not have his skates on the ice when the player he changed for has the puck. But it’s a non-call as much as it’s called. And at one point during the shift change, the Lightning had seven players on the ice — one more than the Avs.
In another clip, JB says: "I thought it was nothing, honestly. That happens every second shift the entire game." https://t.co/bb5rk1Bovm
— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers) June 23, 2022
“That’s part of the game. It’s a fluid game. You’re changing on the fly,” Bednar said. “You look at that clip and you back that clip up — and I did multiple times to see exactly what they’re talking about — and Tampa’s got two guys jumping on with their D coming off the ice from the zone. I count seven (Lightning) and six (Avalanche) at one point. So that is what it is … I don’t see it as a break, a non-break, I think it’s actually nothing.”
An hour after Bednar spoke, Cooper addressed the media from the same venue and backtracked on his emotional post-game comments.
“You’re in an emotional game,” he said. “Then you have to face all of you five minutes after an emotional loss. And so I apologize for last night because that’s what you get when you have to speak to the media right away. What’s great about today is that it’s not yesterday, and now there’s some excitement for Game 5 and that’s where now my mind is turning on how to win that. Nothing we can do to turn back. They missed it. It’s unfortunate but it’s water under the bridge now. Let’s go get ready — it should be a helluva Game 5.”
Statement from NHL Hockey Operations on OT Game 4-winning goal: pic.twitter.com/U4dXa2GDTe
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) June 23, 2022
Lightning players are also not looking back for reasons they lost Game 4.
“It probably happens more times than we think,” Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh said of questionable line changes. “Obviously it’s heightened there with the result and the outcome, and you ask players, we’re looking for every inch to get an advantage and try and jump in the play when you know your change is coming.
“It’s impossible to say what’s the right decision there. It’s so fast, and it probably happens a million more times a game than we think.”
