The Colorado Avalanche got some pretty terrible news on Saturday. Head coach Jared Bednar announced to the media that top-four defenseman Samuel Girard has broken his sternum and will be out for the rest of the playoffs.
Girard suffered the injury on a brutal hit behind the net by St. Louis Blues forward Ivan Barbashev.
The Barbashev hit ⤵️#StanleyCup | #stlblues | #GoAvsGo https://t.co/geuZihwq7z pic.twitter.com/UDvHbvYUhX
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 22, 2022
Barbashev was not penalized on the play and Girard was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
“That’s tough,” Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog said of the play to Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy. “I don’t know if I’m supposed to say anything or not, but pick any rule in the rulebook. Charging, board, headshot, whatever you want. I’m sure the league will take a look at it.”
Avs bench boss Jared Bednar was not in agreement with his star winger. He saw both the hit on Girard and the collision between Nazem Kadri and Jordan Binnington during Game Three as legal plays.
“I didn’t love it seeing it live. Looking back, it’s a heavy collision, unfortunate, but I thought it was a legal check, to be honest with you,” he said during his postgame presser.
Girard had three points in seven postseason games and was playing an average of 17:59 of ice time per game. He is also a large contributor on the team’s second power-play unit.
