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Avalanche's Nazem Kadri Suspended 8 Games for Illegal Check on Blues' Justin Faulk
May 22, 2021
Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri has been suspended eight games for an illegal check to the head of St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk in Game 2 of their first-round postseason matchup.
It's the sixth suspension for Kadri in his past 704 games. Faulk, meanwhile, did not return to play in Game 2 and was unavailable for Game 3 on Friday. St. Louis head coach Craig Berube has not ruled out the defenseman for the remainder of the series, but he remains questionable going forward.
The Avs hold a 2-0 series lead pending Friday's result.
Even before the NHL's ruling, Blues captain Ryan O'Reilly said a suspension was necessary given Kadri's past.
"That's a very dangerous hit," O'Reilly told reporters. "It's gotta be a suspension. He's a repeat offender. It's completely uncalled for. That's awful to see."
According to ESPN's Emily Kaplan, the league's Department of Player Safety offered an in-person hearing—conducted via zoom—before a ruling was announced. That gave the league the ability to suspend Kadri for at least five games.
Kadri initially received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct, removing him from play in the third period of a 6-3 victory.
"The guy can't control himself," Blues center Brayden Schenn said. "In the playoffs, he's a repeat offender. Bad hits, greasy hits—he had a guy in a vulnerable position, and he picked nothing but the head."
Kadri last served a suspension in the postseason as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019, missing five games of his club's first-round series against the Boston Bruins for a cross-check on Jake DeBrusk.