Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane will have a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Sunday following his hit on Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.
Kane received a five-minute major penalty for boarding after cross-checking Kadri from behind at 1:06 of the first period in Colorado’s 4-2 victory on Saturday in Edmonton.
The Avalanche hold a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Monday night in Edmonton.
“(Kadri is) out. He’ll be out for the series at least, if not longer,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “The hit, it’s the most dangerous play in hockey. (Kane) puts him in headfirst from behind, eight feet from the boards. I’ll leave it at that.”
Kane said he “was just coming in on the backcheck. The puck went wide, dribbled into the corner. I know (Kadri) likes to reverse hit, and I was just trying to get a bump on him. That’s really all I did. Unfortunately, he went into the boards awkwardly and hurt his hands. But that was unfortunate.”
Kane received a three-game suspension for elbowing Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk in February 2020. Kane also was banned 21 games in September for violating the NHL/NHLPA COVID-19 protocol, however that will not factor into any potential suspension for an on-ice incident.
Kane, 30, has recorded 17 points (13 goals, four assists) in 15 games in these playoffs. He had 39 points (22 goals, 17 assists) in 43 games during the regular season.
Kane has totaled 545 points (286 goals, 259 assists) in 812 career games with the Atlanta Thrashers/Jets franchise (2009-15), Buffalo Sabres (2015-18), San Jose Sharks (2018-21) and Oilers.
–Field Level Media