Colorado’s coach Jared Bednar expressed his anger after the Buffalo Sabres were allowed to score while Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewood was down and injured, labeling the situation as “nonsense.”

During Thursday’s match, Colorado’s Parker Kelly got tangled with Buffalo’s Zach Benson, causing Benson to accidentally fall onto Wedgewood’s leg. The Sabres took advantage of the loose puck and Benson managed to score with a wraparound shot.

Bednar appealed for goalie interference, hoping to give the referees a chance to rectify the situation, but his request was denied.

“The referees said it wasn’t called because we pushed their guy into Scott,” he explained to reporters. “I said I don’t care. He’s hurt.”

Bednar pointed out that referees frequently stop plays for injured players to ensure player safety, and he mentioned several recent instances.

“For them to just ignore it and then allow the goal is nonsense to me,” he stated. “It’s about player safety.”

There has been a precedent for allowing such goals. In the 2019 playoffs, Dallas Stars goalie Ben Bishop was hit in the collarbone and dropped to the ice, and the St. Louis Blues scored against him while he was motionless.

The relevant rule, 8.1, stipulates: “When a player is injured such that he cannot continue the play or reach his bench, the game will not be halted until that player’s team has gained control of the puck. If the injured player’s team holds the puck at the moment of injury, play will be immediately stopped unless they are in a scoring position.”

Though Colorado did not regain control of the puck, Bednar argued that officials do not apply the rule properly. He asserted that the whistle should have been blown immediately when the puck went to the corner, as it was evident that Wedgewood was injured and unable to recover.

“If they (the Sabres) had set up (Rasmus) Dahlin for a one-timer, shooting a 105 mph slap shot, would they just let it happen with our goalie down? That’s not acceptable.”

Bednar suggested he anticipated a call from the league regarding his comments after the game.

Despite the penalty from the unsuccessful challenge, the Avalanche ultimately overcame the challenge and won 6-5 in overtime.

Wedgewood joined the Avalanche in November during a significant revamp of their goaltending corps. While he previously recovered quickly from a leg injury, Bednar mentioned on Friday that he expects Wedgewood to be sidelined for a week or more.