Kadri’s Talent on Display During Avs’ Playoff Run

The 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs are Nazem Kadri’s fifth trip to the postseason in his career, and the forward is making the most of it, especially when it comes to marking up the scoresheet.

Kadri recorded two goals and three points–both postseason personal bests for him–in the Colorado Avalanche’s 7-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Monday in Game 4 of their first-round series, and he continues to prove to be an invaluable asset for the team in its pursuit of a championship. Kadri has nine points in these playoffs, sharing the Avs scoring lead with Nathan MacKinnon while leading the club in markers.

“I just try to come to play and compete every single night,” Kadri said following Monday’s outing. “That’s what good pros do, and I just felt like I didn’t have my best game last game, so I just wanted to give it everything I had. Got a couple nice breaks early, and obviously that makes the rest of the game a little bit easier.”

Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said following Game 1 of the best-of-seven set that Kadri was the team’s best player in that 3-0 win but noted on Monday that the forward wasn’t as strong in the following two contests. Bednar and Kadri met prior to Game 4, and the London, Ontario, native responded with his play on the ice.

He tallied twice on the power play in the final four minutes of the first period, each time knocking in a loose rebound, to give Colorado a commanding 3-0 advantage on the scoreboard heading into the intermission.

Video: COL@ARI, Gm4: Landeskog sets up Kadri’s PPG

“He was focused and had real good intensity to his game. Wanted to be a difference maker and he certainly was tonight,” Bednar said following the fourth game versus the Coyotes. “It’s a big step forward from the last two games, equally good or better than Game 1 when I thought he was our best player.”

Video: COL@ARI, Gm4: Kadri cleans up in front on power play

Kadri’s net-front presence during man advantages has been the cause of all of his tallies during the playoffs, whacking in loose pucks around the crease–including his buzzer-beater with 0.1 seconds left in regulation that gave the Avs a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Aug. 2 during round-robin play. He is the first Colorado player to score four power-play goals in a single postseason since Steve Konowalchuk in 2004; he had the same amount of such goals during the entire regular season.

Video: STL@COL, RR: Kadri scores game-winner as time expires

The Avs power play went 3-for-7 in Game 4 and is producing at a 25-percent rate this postseason, third-best among NHL teams that made it to the first round of the playoffs.

“I think it’s just simplifying and not trying to do too much, shooting the puck, working hard to get it back,” Kadri said of Colorado’s man advantage. “I think that’s what makes us an effective unit, and if our work ethic matches our skill, sky’s the limit. So we’re really going to look to the power play and special teams in general down the stretch.”

Kadri is in his first postseason with the Avalanche after being acquired in a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs nearly 14 months ago (July 1, 2019), and he’s become a valuable member for the team as the No. 2 center.

The 29-year-old produced 19 goals and 36 points in 51 games in the 2019-20 regular season for the Avs before missing the final 16 games due to a lower-body injury. He was on pace for his third career 30-goal season before getting hurt and the regular season ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He began his first postseason run in burgundy and blue with a five-game point streak, and he’s already set new career highs for goals, assists and points in a playoff year. The forward has three game-winning goals so far to lead the NHL, and his nine points in seven contests this summer have nearly matched his entire scoring total for the postseason prior to this year. The forward had produced three goals, seven assists and 10 points in 19 career postseason contests with the Maple Leafs.

The forward’s acquisition last July filled a need for Colorado, which was looking for a player that could handle the duties of being a No. 2 center in the lineup while also providing depth scoring. Kadri has fit that bill perfectly in his first campaign in Denver, creating that secondary scoring, adding grit with 97 penalty minutes and winning 56.8 percent of his faceoffs, the ninth-best average in the league.

“I think what we were missing a little bit was that really sound centerman in our lineup along with a guy that can drive a line, that is Naz to a ‘T,'” said Nathan MacKinnon. “He’s a great player for us, great on faceoffs, you know his intangibles, and he bring some swag to our team too. He is a fun guy to be around, very confident, great teammate. In every facet of the game, he helps our team and he is having a great playoffs so far, and we wouldn’t be here without him.”

Kadri credits players like MacKinnon for making him feel at home on a new team since day one.

“I think they’ve done a great job of that, just kind of embrace my play and who I am off the ice,” Kadri said of his teammates. “Of course I’ve been around [the league] for a little while, so I try to take on more of a leadership role. Just the team and the organization has accepted me and just kind of allowed me to do what I do best. That’s something that’s much appreciated.”

His assimilation to the Avalanche organization has been nearly seamless, and it’s given Kadri a chance to show off his skill and be an impact player during the most important time of the season.