“We had a constructive conversation today about my perspective. I believe they comprehended my feelings and I understand theirs as well,” Bednar explained after Friday’s practice. “It’s not a straightforward agreement; there are some differing viewpoints, but I feel we’ve each conveyed our stances.”
Wedgewood sustained his injury during the third period of Thursday night’s game when a Buffalo Sabres player collided with Avalanche center Parker Kelly, causing him to fall onto Wedgewood’s right leg. Bednar expressed his frustration that the play should have been halted once the puck moved into the corner while Wedgewood remained on the ice. However, the whistle never sounded, and the Sabres managed to score a goal during the play, even as the Avalanche rallied for a thrilling 6-5 victory in overtime.
“When a goalie is injured, the whistle should be blown,” an irate Bednar stated after the game. “Once the puck was cycled behind the net, the call should have been made. It’s done for every player on the ice, so why not for the goalie? It doesn’t add up to me.”
On Friday, Bednar mentioned that the team was still waiting for results from tests to determine the extent of Wedgewood’s injury. He anticipated the goalie would be out for at least a week and hoped for the best-case scenario, as a high ankle sprain could sideline him for around six weeks.
“He will be out for some time,” Bednar confirmed. “We’re just keeping our fingers crossed for a favorable outcome.”
The controversial play occurred when Sabres forward Zach Benson collided with Avalanche center Parker Kelly and subsequently fell on Wedgewood’s leg. After regaining his footing, Benson managed to score with Wedgewood still down inside the goal. This incident seemed to energize the Avalanche, who managed to tie the game with only eight seconds left in regulation and took the win 48 seconds into overtime, courtesy of a breakaway goal by Devon Toews.
Bednar remarked, “I think our players became more determined and motivated following that incident.”
Wedgewood’s injury adds to the mounting list of injuries plaguing the Avalanche, who are also currently without Valeri Nichushkin (lower body), Miles Wood (upper body), Ivan Ivan (upper body), Oliver Kylington (upper body), and captain Gabriel Landeskog (knee). Despite these setbacks, the team has kept pace in the league, riding the wave of six consecutive wins as they head into a match against Montreal on Saturday.
“We have many talented players, which is why we’ve remained a strong team over the years,” said Bednar. “I’m confident we will get healthy eventually, and I’m eager to see how our team performs then.”
In the absence of Wedgewood, the Avalanche will place significant reliance on Mackenzie Blackwood, who was brought in from San Jose in a recent trade that sent Alexandar Georgiev to the Sharks. Blackwood has demonstrated solid play with a 6-1 record and a 1.93 goals-against average since joining the team, and he feels prepared for the added responsibilities.
“You have to be prepared for situations like this,” Blackwood asserted. “Back-to-back games can be more challenging, but you just do your best to handle it.”
To cover Wedgewood’s absence, Colorado is planning to call up Trent Miner from the Colorado Eagles in the American Hockey League to act as the backup goaltender.
“We will have to assess how long Wedgewood will be unavailable,” Bednar mentioned regarding Wedgewood, who was acquired in a trade from Nashville on November 30. “We’ve made sure both goalies have been active since they have both played exceptionally and now it looks like we’ll need to depend more on one of them.”
