Avalanche coach Jared Bednar responds when asked to compare Ryan Reaves incident to Nazem Kadri's

Vegas Golden Knights hard-nosed forward Ryan Reaves was officially suspended by the NHL for his actions in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. The incident against Colorado's Ryan Graves resulted in Reaves drawing a match penalty for attempting to injure an opponent.

“Reaves continues the altercation, using his body weight to force Graves’ head into the ice,” the league said, according to USA Today. “As both the officials and other players attempt unsuccessfully to separate the two, Reaves continues to push forcefully down on the vulnerable Graves, eventually ripping his helmet off.“

The Avalanche held practice at their team facility on Tuesday, and Graves was a participant. The session was a 25-minute full team practice after the players were allowed a day off the ice on Monday. 

For Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar, he's not going to be comparing the Reaves incident with that involving one of his own players in Nazem Kadri. As you may recall, Kadri was banned by the NHL for eight games following his hit on St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk in Game 2 of their opening Round series. 

"Totally different circumstances. He got two games, and that's it," Bednar explained on comparing Kadri and Reaves' incidents. "I really don't have anything else to say on it. My focus is on preparing our team for tomorrow night."

Kadri appealed the decision, but was denied by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. 

Meanwhile, the Avalanche put on an absolute clinic against the Golden Knights, dominating them from start to finish and jumping out to a 5-0 lead before ultimately prevailing by a rather comfortable 7-1 margin.

But there's room to be better. 

"There is always room for improvement," said goaltender Philipp Grubauer, who made 24 saves. "The first game, always kind of a feeling out mode, see what they're doing, see what we're doing, see what they're coming and throwing at us. So going to watch some video here in the next couple of hours and get ready for the next game. Overall, I thought we played a really strong game, 60 minutes, everybody contributed. That was great, and that is how it's going to have to be moving forward too."

Game 2 between Colorado and Vegas begins on Wednesday at Ball Arena in Denver at 10:00 PM EST.