Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri has been ruled out for the remainder of the Western Conference Finals against the Edmonton Oilers, as recorded by the head coach Jared Bednar after his team’s 4-2 Game 3 win on Saturday.
Colorado Avalanche forward Nail Yakupov left Saturday’s game after taking a hit from behind into the end boards by Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane. “He’s out,” coach Jared Bednar said. “He’ll be out for the series at least, if not longer.” The hit was considered dangerous by some. “It’s the most dangerous play in hockey,” Bednar added. “He puts him in head-first from behind, you know, eight feet off the boards.”
As the opera singer was trying to win the ball close to the middle of the field in the first quarter, Kane crossedchecked him with the numbers and knocked him into the grass. Kane incurred a five-minute big penalty upon the verification of foul play, and the guest star did not play the following period.
After the game, Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog said he felt the hit was dangerous and said he hoped it would be reviewed by the NHL Department of Safety for a possible fine or suspension. “I was on the bench, but I don’t like it,” Landeskog said. “You know, those are the ones that kind of gives you the chills down your spine. You’re taught from a young age that you don’t do that and especially in that distance from the boards. So, it’s a dangerous play, and I don’t know what else to say. I’m sure they’ll take a look at it.”
Kane’s indefinite suspension for the on-ice elbowing incident against Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk was on February 2020. Kane’s 21-game suspension for violating the NHL’s protocols for curbing the spread of the coronavirus came into effect on September 2021 but was not on an on-ice incident and would not be taken into consideration when determining a potential ban for boarders on your team.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri has been one of the best players for the Colorado Avalanche this year, tallying 28 goals and 59 assists in 71 regular-season games. The 31-year-old entered Saturday’s game with six goals and eight assists in 12 playoff games. With Kadri sidelined, teammate J.T. Compher, who scored the game-winning goal in Game 3, could replace him on the second line. It’s unclear who the Avs might call up to join the team for the remainder of the Western Conference Finals.
Whether Colorado will win the Stanley Cup Final will be determined in Game 4 on Monday at Rogers Place. Until now, the franchise had not won a series in this event except for 2001.