Nathan MacKinnon got very lucky on Thursday, and head coach Jared Bednar was surely happy about it.
The Player Safety Department decided to take away the major penalty given for his controversial hit on Connor Ingram. This change really affects Colorado’s upcoming games.
The Edmonton team was super mad about how dangerous the hit was in the goal area. They were yelling for MacKinnon to be thrown out of the game right when play was about to start again.
Hearing that the league changed their mind will just make them even angrier. Edmonton believed their goalie was completely unprotected and that MacKinnon aimed for him. Now, with the league reversing the decision, it feels even worse considering Ingram is hurt.
MacKinnon was already in a tricky spot with his past penalties. If he had another big penalty, he would have automatically faced a suspension because of the league rules.
#Avs Nathan MacKinnon said the NHL rescinded his major penalty.
If you get two in a certain amount of games, it’s an automatic suspension. So he’s back to zero for those purposes.
— Corey Masisak (@cmasisak22) March 12, 2026
Instead, all his penalties are cleared, and he’s back to having no major penalties. This is a huge relief for a team that’s fighting hard to make the playoffs in the Central Division.
The Avalanche depend a lot on his incredible speed and handling of the puck every game. If they lost a player who already has 92 points this season, it would have ruined their current road trip.
Nathan MacKinnon is now in a risky position.
Jared Bednar knows his star player plays tough, but going too far can lead to serious problems. Luckily, the video showed that the hit was a mistake and not intentional.
However, the Oilers are not going to just accept that answer. Their team shared strong worries about player safety right after the game ended.
Ingram took his time getting up and looked pretty rattled after that play. The defensemen from Edmonton rushed in to make sure they stood up for their teammates.
It’s for sure that this rivalry will continue into their next game. The Oilers remember things well and they will defend their players with tough moves.
MacKinnon is safe from any punishment by the league, but now other teams will be looking to hit him. Edmonton will definitely try to get back at him the next time he has the puck.
For the moment, he’s still playing and not sitting out. Colorado really needs him to score so they can get those two points this Saturday night.
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