The Colorado Avalanche are just trying to stay healthy over the last week of the regular season. That also applies to the coaching staff.

Ultimately, the score of this game didn’t matter too much. The Avalanche fell 3-2 in overtime to the Golden Knights. What does matter is health, and the Avalanche not only lost Josh Manson to an upper-body injury in the third period, but also lost their head coach.

Early in the third, Jared Bednar took a puck to the face off the stick of Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar. He exited the game and did not return, nor did he speak after the game. Avalanche vice president of media and player relations Brendan McNicholas provided an update on Bednar’s status postgame, stating that he was fully alert and conscious after taking a puck to the right cheek but would be headed to a local hospital to get a CT scan so he can be further evaluated.

The Avalanche have three games remaining on their schedule until the playoffs get underway.

“We hope he’s okay. That was a scary situation,” captain Gabriel Landeskog said after the game.

As for Manson, there was no real update on his status postgame. He took his last shift of the game right before the end of the second period and never returned. Assistant coach Nolan Pratt said he was still being evaluated when he came in for his press conference.

The loss of any regular on the roster would be tough to swallow at this time of the year, which is why you can expect to see the Avalanche rest players over their final three games. Pratt said they’ll make those final decisions Sunday as for who they’ll take on their upcoming two-game road trip, but they’d like to give some players either a night off or lower their minutes.

Landeskog could be one of those players, as he was one of eight Avalanche players who played at the Olympics back in February. The staff might have the final say, but Landeskog knows what he wants to do.

“I’d like to keep playing. We’ll see at the end, but as for right now, I’d like to keep playing,” he said.

Golden Knights 3, Avalanche 2

What happened: End-to-end action saw the Golden Knights bury the game-winner moments after Devon Toews was robbed.

What went right: Nick Blankenburg scored his first goal in an Avalanche uniform and played easily his best game since arriving at the trade deadline. “You can see moments for him with his feet and his mobility where he can create and get us out of our zone,” Pratt said. “Our aim for him is to get him as comfortable as we can through the next week to adapt to what we’re trying to do.”

What went wrong: Any Manson injury could be devastating at this time of year. Colorado doesn’t have anyone on defense who plays with his physicality, so it completely changes the makeup of their blue line. The Avalanche have to hope it’s minor.

Avalanche goal scorers: Toews (3), Blankenburg (7)

Golden Knights goal scorers: Stone (27), Dorofeyev (36), Eichel (26)

Between the pipes: Mackenzie Blackwood played well again, especially in the third period when the Avalanche got sloppy defensively. He finished with 26 saves.

What’s next: The Avalanche fly to Edmonton to take on the Oilers Monday at 7:30 p.m.