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Greg WyshynskiMar 11, 2026, 02:14 AM ET<\/p>\n
Close<\/a>Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.<\/p>\n Multiple Authors<\/p>\n The Colorado Avalanche<\/a> sharply disagreed with the officials’ decision to give star center Nathan MacKinnon<\/a> a game misconduct penalty for goalie interference in their 4-3 home loss<\/a> to the Edmonton Oilers<\/a> on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n With 37 seconds left in the second period and Colorado on a power play, MacKinnon went hard to the net as Brock Nelson<\/a> sent him a pass. As MacKinnon tipped the puck wide, Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse<\/a> dove into him, with Nurse’s head connecting on MacKinnon’s hip. MacKinnon barreled into Oilers goalie Connor Ingram<\/a>, knocking him to the ice. Ingram would skate off on his own with a cut on his forehead.<\/p>\n The officials gave MacKinnon a major penalty for interference on the goaltender, which carries an automatic game misconduct, and upheld that call after video review. Ingram was replaced by Tristan Jarry<\/a>, who stopped 11 of 12 shots in the Oilers’ win.<\/p>\n Editor’s Picks<\/p>\n 2 Related<\/p>\n “There’s no chance that he hits the goalie if Nurse doesn’t run into him,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “I don’t care if he’s injured or not injured, it’s a severe crash or not a severe crash. It’s not a penalty. If you put guys in your own goalie, it’s not a penalty.”<\/p>\n Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said Ingram wasn’t allowed back into the game due to the NHL’s concussion protocol but noted that the netminder was feeling well after the contest.<\/p>\n The Avalanche would kill off the five-minute major given to MacKinnon but eventually lost the game on a power-play goal by Oilers star Connor McDavid<\/a> in the third period.<\/p>\n Knoblauch said the MacKinnon penalty was a “difficult one” for the officials to make.<\/p>\n “Obviously, you have to protect your goalies. It wasn’t on purpose, but you have to be careful with goaltenders” Knoblauch said. “Obviously, they lost a good player.”<\/p>\n Bednar said he wasn’t given a satisfactory answer about MacKinnon’s major penalty by the officials.<\/p>\n “The goalie’s hurt, so it’s five [minutes]? I really don’t give a crap if their goalie’s hurt. That’s on their D-men, not on our guy,” Bednar said.<\/p>\n MacKinnon’s teammates said they also were baffled by the call.<\/p>\n “Nate’s got some of the best spatial awareness in the league. He’s not going to cut into the goalie like that,” said Colorado defenseman Cale Makar<\/a>. “Explanation we got from the refs was that [Nurse] didn’t nudge him enough.”<\/p>\n“There’s no chance that [Nathan MacKinnon] hits the goalie if [Darnell] Nurse doesn’t run into him,” said Avs coach Jared Bednar. “I don’t care if he’s injured or not injured … It’s not a penalty. If you put guys in your own goalie, it’s not a penalty.”\u00a0Ron Chenoy\/Imagn Images<\/p>\n