ST. Lewis – – Nazem Kadri laughs for the last time.
Kadri scored three goals, including two during the second leg of the second period, and Colorado Avelanche beat St. Louis Blues 6-3 Monday night and led 3-1 in their Western Conference series.
Kadri’s outburst came after receiving racist death threats on social media after a clash in the first period with blue goalkeeper Jordan Binington in match 3 on Saturday night.
“I wanted to go out tonight and really celebrate this game, especially after what happened,” Kadri said. “I tried to do my best. Sometimes you have to be patient and you have to wait. I managed to strike at the beginning of the second period and I managed to come into force. “
Kadri, who was booed every time he touched the puck, slid to the glass and seemed to congratulate the Blues fans after each of his first two goals, causing even more ridicule. It was his first hat-trick in his career.
“I know I’m being booed and whatnot, but that’s being a fan,” Kadri said. “As a host and a host player, you want the fans on your side to fight with the other team, as long as it is within the guidelines. I have no problem with that and I know that this is not a reflection of every fan in St. Louis. I understand this and I want to clarify it. But for those who wasted their time sending such messages, I feel sorry for them.
Kadri said he had not heard racial taunts from the crowd on Monday.
“Naz is focused, he’s a big boy, he’s a tough guy and he’s a resilient man,” said Avalanche coach Jared Bednar. “And we are proud of him as a group and we have a task that we are trying to accomplish and Naz understands that and it is a pity that he has to deal with that and he knows that we are all with him and that is what we care about. “
Eric Johnson and Devon Toys also scored, and Miko Rantanen added an empty net for Avalanche while Darcy Kumper made 17 saves.
David Perón scored twice, and Pavel Buchnevich scored a goal and an assist for the Blues. Ville Husso, who made his first start after Game 3 of the first round against Minnesota, made 31 saves.
Game 5 is on Wednesday in Colorado.
“We were ahead of most of the game 5 on 5,” said Blues coach Craig Berube. “It’s quite simple. I do not know why. We were ahead. They were ahead of us. He reached for every loose puck. He lost a lot of puck battles. “
Avalanche took control of the game – and the series – with three goals in less than two minutes at the start of the second period.
Johnson succeeded with his first playoff at 2:44. Kadri gave Avalanche the lead with their first at 4:07, and Toews scored 19 seconds later and made it 3-1.
Kadri said Berube’s comments after game 3 were part of his motivation. When asked about the clash after the match, Berube referred to the previous disciplinary actions of Kadri from the league’s office.
“He made some comments that I wasn’t a fan of,” Kadri said. “I guess he’s never heard of bulletin board material.”
Kadri gave Peron a late kick a minute later, provoking revenge from Peron and Buchnevich, which put them both in the penalty area with light penalties. Colorado did not score in the lead of two, but Kadri buried his second goal moments after the end and made the score 4-1.
Perron and Buchnevich scored in the power game at the end of the second to bring the Blues back within one, but Kadri’s goal in the middle of the third thwarted a return attempt.
“It was great,” Johnson said of Kadri’s hat-trick. “I felt so good about him. You know, imagine you’re in his situation, it can’t be fun. As I said, no human being should receive this type of treatment, especially in hockey. … I think he liked being a villain tonight and he certainly got stronger for us. ”
Perrin gave the Blues a 1-0 lead five minutes after the start of the game and they escaped the first period with a lead, although they got 15-3. Husso made several difficult rescues, shouting “HUSS!” From the crowd.
“I’m not sure we ever had control of the game, even though we scored first,” Perron said. “We did not force them to defend themselves strongly enough. We had some pressure, but not consistent enough to win a hockey game. “
ADDITIONAL SECURITY
St. Louis police are investigating threats against Kadri. The NHL told the AP on Monday that it was working with the St. Louis Police Department to enforce enhanced security procedures both in the arena and at the hotel.
ROAD WARS
Colorado is 4-0 away this season and is the only team without a loss away. The series connects the second longest winning streak since the start of the season in the franchise’s history with the team from 2001. The longest series is 7-0 for the team since 1999.
Game NotesBlues D Tori Krug skated with the team during morning skating for the first time since suffering a lower body injury in Game 3 against Minnesota. There is no update for his return. … Avalanche C Alex Newhook played in his first playoff game of the year and assisted on Johnson’s goal. … Blues F Vladimir Tarasenko played in his 88th playoff game of his career, tying him with Jaden Schwartz for fifth place in the history of the franchise. … The Blues leaked G Charlie Lindgren of Springfield, his AHL affiliate, in an emergency on Sunday to support Husso.
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