The Colorado Avalanche are already without their starting goalie due to injury, and then lost another top player on Saturday night in their Game 3 win over the Edmonton Oilers.
Nazem Kadri was injured in the first period of the Western Conference Final when he was cross checked from behind by Edmonton’s Evander Kane. He will not return to the series, according to head coach Jared Bednar.
“The hit is the most dangerous play in hockey,” Bednar said. “It puts him in headfirst from behind, 8 feet off the boards. I’ll leave it at that.”
Kane will have a Sunday hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety for boarding.
Evander Kane was given a 5-minute major for boarding on this hit on Nazem Kadri. #StanleyCup | #LetsGoOilers | #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/xRv9dN2WQs
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 5, 2022
Kane was assessed a five minute major for boarding but was not ejected.
“I was just coming around on the backcheck. Puck went wide, kind of dribbled into the corner. I know he likes to reverse it,” Kane said. “I was just trying get a bump on him. That’s all I did. Unfortunately, he went into the boards awkwardly and hurt his hands. But that was unfortunate.”
“You’re taught from a young age that you don’t do that. Especially in that distance from the boards,” said Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog. “It’s a dangerous play. I’m sure [the NHL] will take a look at it.”
That was not the only questionable play in the first period. There was also this play involving Nathan MacKinnon and Leon Draisaitl.
Here’s a couple other views of the Nathan MacKinnon and Leon Draisaitl collision in front of the benches#LetsGoOilers | #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/5bUSaG7vh8
— NHL Highlights #StanleyCup | HockeyDaily365 (@HockeyDaily365) June 5, 2022
Draisaitl has been playing injured for much of the postseason. He briefly left the game but did eventually return.
2022 NHL playoff schedule: Western Conference Final
EDMONTON OILERS v. COLORADO AVALANCHE (COL leads 3-0)
Game 1 – Avalanche 8, Oilers 6
Game 2 – Avalanche 4, Oilers 0
Game 3 – Avalanche 4, Oilers 2
Game 4 – June 6: Avalanche at Oilers, 8 p.m. ET (TNT, SN, CBC, TVAS)
*Game 5 – June 8: Oilers at Avalanche, TBD (TNT, SN, CBC, TVAS)
*Game 6 – June 10: Avalanche at Oilers, TBD (TNT, SN, CBC, TVAS)
*Game 7 – June 12: Oilers at Avalanche, TBD (TNT, SN, CBC, TVAS)
* If necessary
—
Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.