DENVER (AP) — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upheld an eight-game suspension issued to Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri following his illegal check to the head of Blues defenseman Justin Faulk in Game 2 of a first-round series against St. Louis.
Bettman heard Kadri’s appeal before announcing his decision.
Kadri missed the last two games of the Blues series and Game 1 of the Avalanche’s second-round series against Vegas.
This is Kadri’s fifth suspension for questionable, dangerous hits. He will not be able to return to the ice until Game 7 of the second-round series, if it goes that far. Otherwise, he would miss games in the conference championship series.
The NHL Players' Association has filed another appeal on Kadri's behalf to a neutral arbitrator. Shyam Das will serve as the arbitrator, the NHLPA told ESPN's Emily Kaplan. Kadri will remain suspended during the appeal process.
