[UPDATE: Perron has been fined $5,000 for cross-checking Kadri.]
Game 4 of Blues - Avalanche got getting weird, wild, and sometimes more than a little bit ugly. Yet, can you really look away from all of the carnage, thanks in large part to Nazem Kadri, David Perron, and Pavel Buchnevich?
Ultimately, Kadri and the Avalanche got the last laugh, pushing the Blues to the brink of elimination. Kadri finished with a hat trick and an assist as the Avalanche beat the Blues 6-3 in Game 4.
Setting the stage
In just about any scenario, St. Louis Blues fans weren’t going to greet Nazem Kadri warmly in Game 4 on Monday. However you feel about Kadri’s culpability, his collision with Jordan Binnington ended Binnington’s series.
Heading into Monday, word surfaced that the NHL and St. Louis police were looking into threats made toward Kadri. The NHL noted enhanced security measures at the arena, and the Avalanche’s hotel. While Blues coach Craig Berube drew criticism for not having much of a comment regarding the racist threats, David Perron provided the sort of comments you’d hope to see in support of Kadri.
“We don’t want that to happen, obviously,” Perron said before Game 4, via the Associated Press. “Hopefully it’s been taken care of. I’ll just leave it at that. You don’t want to see that happen to anybody for any reason.”
During an eventual second period of Game 4, things heated up between Kadri, Perron, other Blues players, and to an extent, their fans.
Kadri draws penalties from Perron, Buchnevich; scores twice and motions to fans
First, Nazem Kadri scored a pretty 2-1 goal, then hammed it up to undoubtedly angry St. Louis Blues fans:
NAZEM KADRI. #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/oM9NGJOvOj
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) May 24, 2022
Soon after, Kadri enraged David Perron and Pavel Buchnevich, who went after Kadri in dangerous ways. It’s fair to wonder if officials could have done more to settle things down.
While the Avalanche failed to capitalize on a 5-on-3 power play opportunity, Kadri scored soon after to make it 4-1. Note Perron, still clearly heated, nearly catching Kadri with an elbow after that tally:
Just after the power play expires, Nazem Kadri nets his second goal of the game. 4-1 pic.twitter.com/8WnwQg6cV2
— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) May 24, 2022
Fascinatingly, both Perron and Buchnevich factored into the Blues’ push to get back into Game 4 against the Avalanche.
Perron entered the third period with two goals, while Buchnevich scored a power-play goal with about 30 seconds left in the second.
Overall, the Avalanche and Blues combined for six goals during a frenetic second period of Game 4. Kadri, Perron, and Buchnevich were involved in controversial moments. They all factored into multiple goals to boot.
There was some intrigue during the third, but ultimately, Colorado won 6-3.
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.
