Avalanche Coach Jared Bednar Hospitalized After Puck Injury During Game

Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar was taken to a hospital Saturday night after a puck struck him on the right cheek during a tense 3-2 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. The incident occurred with 16:39 remaining in the third period when a puck, launched off the stick of Knights defenseman Keegan Kolesar, flew over the boards and hit Bednar as he stood behind the Colorado bench.

Following the impact, Bednar bent over in visible pain, holding the side of his head. He was promptly assisted to the locker room by a trainer for further evaluation. A team spokesperson later confirmed that Bednar was fully alert and conscious, and he was taken for a CT scan to ensure there were no serious injuries.

In Bednar’s absence, assistant coach Dave Hakstol stepped in to lead the team for the remainder of the game. After the match, assistant coach Nolan Pratt reflected on the unsettling incident, stating, “It’s certainly a little unnerving. It’s scary when the pucks are flying in there. It happens all the time, and unfortunately tonight, so it takes a little second to sort of recalibrate and then get back to it.”

The Avalanche are scheduled to travel to Edmonton on Sunday to kick off a two-game road trip. As of now, it remains uncertain whether Bednar will join the team. The Avalanche, who clinched the top overall seed with 115 points on Thursday night, will look to bounce back from this challenging game.

In addition to Bednar’s injury, the team also faced a setback with defenseman Josh Manson, who was sidelined with an upper-body injury late in the second period. Pratt indicated that Manson is currently being evaluated, adding, “We’ll see how it is (Sunday).”

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.