Nate MacKinnon Gets Controversial Game Misconduct For Steamrolling Oilers Goalie
Was the punishment a little harsh or adequate?
We had some controversy in Tuesday night's game between the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers, and it centered on one Nate MacKinnon absolutely truck-sticking Oilers goalie Connor Ingram.
But was it worth a five-minute major and a game misconduct?
Learn More About The Ultimate College Hoops Experience
Late in the third period, MacKinnon went hard to the net and made heavy contact with Ingram.
He hit the net that time… kind of.
The Oilers' goalie was injured on the play and was replaced by backup Tristan Jarry.
While there's certainly a good case to be made for that being a penalty, it was ruled a five-minute major and meant Nate Dog was headed off for an early shower.
That's pretty harsh.
Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon was slapped with a game misconduct for running over Oilers goalie Connor Ingram. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)
Especially when you watch that play back, and you see that Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse played a role in the collision.
This was something that Avs head coach Jared Bednar really focused on after the game.
"There is no chance that he hits the goalie if Nurse doesn’t run into him, he’s not hitting the goalie," Bednar said, per TSN. "I don’t care if he’s injured, not injured, 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."
I agree with that, 100 percent.
Bednar mentioned another aspect of the incident, and that was that Ingram was injured on the play.
"Not a good one," Bednar said when asked if he was given an explanation for the call. "The goalie’s hurt, so it’s five? Again, I really don’t give a crap if the goalie’s hurt, that’s on their D-man, not on our guy."
That's another line of reasoning I'm not a fan of. Just because someone gets hurt doesn't mean the penalty should be more severe.
Players get hurt on seemingly innocuous plays all the time. Should a routine trip that causes someone to shred a ligament in their knee and put them out of business for a few weeks be worth five and a game?
I don't think it should.
Of course, there was another reason for Bednar to be a bit hot under the collar as the Avalanche lost this one 4-3.