Report: Nazem Kadri is definitely playing Game 4 tonight in Tampa Bay

What we figured was going to happen seems to be official.

Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri will return for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, according to 104.3 The Fan insider Adrian Dater.

Not a big scoop here, but: Nazem Kadri is definitely playing tonight @ColHockeyNow

— Adrian Dater (@adater) June 22, 2022

Kadri should give the Avalanche a big emotional boost, as he hasn’t played yet in the Final.

Before he got hurt by the stick of cheap shot artist Evander Kane in the Oilers series, Kadri was one of Colorado’s best players in the postseason. He tallied 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in just 12 games before exiting in the opening minutes of Game 3 in Edmonton thanks to Kane’s dirty cross-check.

He was also a rallying point for the Avalanche in the Blues series, scoring a hat trick after being the victim of appalling racist threats. When the Avs returned home for Game 5, the Ball Arena crowd went out of its way to provide a well-deserved heroes welcome.

Kadri got surgery after Kane broke his thumb and was almost assuredly done for the playoffs. Him coming back just 2.5 weeks after going under the knife has the potential to be an all-time sports story in Colorado history.

Game 4 between the Avs and Lightning starts at 6:00 p.m. MT on ABC, with the Avalanche leading the series 2-1.

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