The Colorado Avalanche took Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final courtesy of an overtime goal from Nazem Kadri. The goal was not without controversy, however, as the Lightning and head coach Jon Cooper were quick to claim that the referees should have blown the play dead because of a too many men penalty. Avs head coach Jared Bednar has now weighed in on the controversial goal, saying he saw nothing wrong with the play, suggesting that close line changes occur frequently throughout any hockey game, via Michael Traikos.

https://twitter.com/Michael_Traikos/status/1539990350579863553

“I saw it. I thought it was nothing, honestly. I thought it happens every second shift in the entire game,” said Bednar. “That's part of the game. It's a fluid game. You're changing on the fly, everything happens. You look at that clip, you back that clip up — and I did multiple times already to see exactly what they're talking about — and Tampa's got two guys jumping on with their D coming off the ice from a zone away. I count 7-6 at one point. So that is what it is. That's the way the game is played. I don't see it as a break or a non-break. I actually see it as nothing.”

The goal in question came after a rather questionable line change that saw Kadri come off the bench a bit in advance of Nathan MacKinnon reaching the sideline. Kadri then broke free in the attacking third and tucked away the game-winning goal.

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NHL rules indicate that a player must be within five feet of the bench before another player can replace them on the ice. It's clear that Kadri did leave the bench early, but as Bednar notes, he felt the Lightning also had too many men on the ice during that exact play. Footage showed a questionable line change from the Lightning, too, involving two of their defenseman.

It was certainly a controversial goal, and it's not too surprising to hear Bednar carrying this stance on the instance. Of course, Lightning fans will disagree, but at the end of the day, the Avalanche were given the benefit of the doubt, and now hold a 3-1 lead.