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Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar will seek his second Stanley Cup title with his team, but he will have to take a seat off the ice for the remainder of the regular season.
Bednar was hit in the face with a puck Saturday night during a 3-2 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. The team said Bednar suffered facial fractures and a corneal abrasion, but is expected to make a full recovery without requiring surgery and be back on the bench for the playoffs.
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Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar confers with center Martin Necas during the third period of an NHL game against the Calgary Flames in Denver on March 30, 2026. (David Zalubowski/AP)
“It’s definitely a little nerve-wracking. It’s scary when the pucks fly in there,” assistant coach Nolan Pratt said after the game. “It happens all the time, and unfortunately tonight, so it takes a little second to recalibrate and then come back to it.”
Pratt and Dave Hakstol will likely coach the team for the final two games of the regular season. The Avalanche will hit the road for games against the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.
2026 NHL STANLEY CUP ODDS: COLORADO AVALANCHE, TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING TOP BOARD
Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar confers with players during a timeout during the third period of an NHL game against the Calgary Flames in Denver on April 9, 2026. (David Zalubowski/AP)
The Avalanche, who won the 2022 Stanley Cup title, clinched the top seed in the Western Conference on Thursday night with 115 points.
Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL with 52 goals this season and is third in the league with 74 assists. He is also third in points with 126, trailing Tampa Bay Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov (128) and Oilers star Connor McDavid (133).
Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar looks on from the dugout during the second period of an NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks in Denver on April 1, 2026. (David Zalubowski/AP)
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The Avalanche have reached the playoffs in all but one season under Bednar.
