Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up
All Scores
Odds by

Nazem Kadri suspended 8 games for hit on Justin Faulk

[UPDATE: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has upheld Kadri’s eight-game suspension following an appeal.]

The NHL suspended Nazem Kadri 8 games for his hit on Justin Faulk. Kadri’s suspension began with Colorado’s 5-1 Game 3 of win over the Blues Friday night.

Note that, if the Avalanche are eliminated within those 8 games, then Nazem Kadri’s remaining suspension will carry over to the 2021-22 regular season.

This marks the third playoff suspension for Nazem Kadri in the past four seasons -- all in First Round series. It would be difficult for any other player to replicate this pace, as that’s four multi-game suspensions in a window of 23 playoff games.

Here is part of the explanation for the Nazem Kadri suspension via the Department of Player Safety:

Along with Robert Bortuzzo, Justin Faulk will not play in Game 3 for the Blues following that Nazem Kadri hit. The Blues were already facing a tall order in trying to hang with the high-powered Avalanche, and now their defense looks like this:

With Nazem Kadri suspended, Carl Soderberg enters the Avalanche lineup for Game 3 vs. the Blues.

[NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2021 First Round schedule, TV info]

Nazem Kadri’s suspension history

This seems like a pertinent time to note Nazem Kadri’s larger suspension history.


  • November 2013: Nazem Kadri was suspended three games for interference. In that case, he collided with then-Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom.
  • March 2015: Next, Kadri sat four games for an illegal hit to the head of Matt Fraser.
  • April 2016: The 2015-16 season ended early for Kadri after he cross-checked Luke Glendening. It was another four-game suspension.
  • April 2018: Now we get to the back-to-back Kadri suspensions vs. the Bruins in playoff games. Kadri missed Games 2, 3, and 4 in the Maple Leafs’ 2018 First Round series vs. the Bruins for a hit on Tommy Wingels.
  • April 2019: A year later, the NHL suspended Nazem Kadri for the remainder of the Bruins - Maple Leafs First Round series (3-5 games) for a dangerous hit on Jake DeBrusk.
  • May 2021: The NHL suspended Nazem Kadri eight games for that hit on Justin Faulk.

[NBC 2021 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

AVALANCHE VS. BLUES (COL leads 2-0) - series livestream link

Game 1: Avalanche 4, Blues 1
Game 2: Avalanche 6, Blues 3
Friday, May 21: Avalanche at Blues, 9:30 p.m. ET (USA Network)
Sunday, May 23: Avalanche at Blues, 5 p.m. ET (NBCSN)
*Tuesday, May 25: Blues at Avalanche TBD
*Thursday, May 27: Avalanche at Blues TBD
*Saturday, May 29: Blues at Avalanche TBD

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.