Avalanche HC Jared Bednar out for road trip after being hit by puck

Avalanche HC Jared Bednar out for road trip after being hit by puck

Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar will be out for the team’s road trip after taking a puck to the face during a 3-2 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. Bednar has facial fractures and a corneal abrasion but is expected to make a full recovery without surgery.

The 54-year-old head coach was hit after Golden Knights player Keegan Kolesar sent a puck toward the Avalanche bench with 16:39 remaining in the third period. Bednar was seen holding his head before being helped to the locker room.

In Bednar’s absence, Avalanche assistants Nolan Pratt and Dave Hakstol are expected to coach against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday and the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. The Flames will close their season at home against the Seattle Kraken. Hakstol took over after Bednar left Saturday’s game against the Golden Knights.

Bednar has been the head coach of the Avalanche since 2016, leading the team to a 442-262 record, eight straight playoff appearances, and a Stanley Cup victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022.

With 115 points, the Avalanche clinched the NHL’s top seed for the postseason. They also won the Presidents’ Trophy, awarded to the team with the best record in the NHL, for the fourth time in franchise history. They are tied with the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers for the second-most Presidents’ Trophies, behind the Detroit Red Wings, who have six. The Avalanche are led by Nathan MacKinnon, who leads the team in points, goals, assists and plus-minus.

The NHL playoffs start on Saturday.