Nazem Kadri returns to the Avalanche, Colorado takes down Minnesota

The Colorado Avalanche welcomed back Nazem Kadri on Sunday afternoon.

And in a way, it felt like he never left.

Kadri played in his first game with Colorado since the team won the Stanley Cup Final in June of 2022 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Avalanche stunned the NHL world on Friday, beating the buzzer and bringing Kadri back at the NHL trade deadline. The impact in his return was immediately noticed, a 3-2 Colorado shootout win over the Minnesota Wild.

Kadri and superstar Nathan MacKinnon got the party started in the second period, hooking up for a goal like they never missed a beat. Kadri had a slick pass to MacKinnon — a shot the Hart Trophy favorite wasn’t going to miss.

NAZEM KADRI SETS UP NATHAN MACKINNON TO OPEN THE SCORING! 🤝

📺: @NHL_On_TNT & @StreamOnMax ➡️ https://t.co/4TuyIATi3T pic.twitter.com/XALVazfdsu

— NHL (@NHL) March 8, 2026

That was all the scoring for the first two periods, before the third period got a little nuts. Minnesota had two goals, one on the power play and one shorthanded, to take a 2-1 lead.

But a couple of new additions for the Avalanche punched back, as Nicolas Roy got his first goal in a Colorado sweater off an assist from Brett Kulak. Both were recent additions — although obviously not with the same fanfare as Nazem Kadri.

And there was a chance for a real Disney movie after OT was scoreless and the game went to a shootout. Kadri was the Avalanche’s third-shooter and had an opportunity to win it, but couldn’t convert.

No worries, as Colorado goalie Scott Wedgewood made a save on Minnesota’s fourth shooter and then MacKinnon called game. It was the team’s second straight shootout victory.

The first period saw Nazem Kadri get two excellent chances as he was buzzing from the jump, both on the power play. He couldn’t quite finish either, which would’ve popped the top off Ball Arena, but already made his presence felt.

Colorado’s had well-documented struggles on the power play all season and although they didn’t score on five opportunities on Sunday, Kadri elevated the group. The first-unit looked fluid and had several dangerous sequences.

Overall, it was a great return for Kadri. He fit in seamlessly and the Avalanche got a big win to further improve their lead on the Wild in the standings.

And on a day captain Gabriel Landeskog couldn’t play with a new week-to-week injury, Nazem Kadri took the first step toward hopefully being a key part of another championship team.

Below are some of the moments of the day, ones that felt special inside Ball Arena — including intros, a tribute video and Kadri’s thoughts postgame.

The Avalanche take the ice and Nazem Kadri gets introduced as a starter. Ball Arena with a very loud ovation welcoming him back 👏 pic.twitter.com/VPeLttk1MY

— Will Petersen (@PetersenWill) March 8, 2026

Nazem Kadri welcomed back to Denver with a tribute video during the first period and then standing ovation at Ball Arena. pic.twitter.com/HFq4uB2wQJ

— Will Petersen (@PetersenWill) March 8, 2026

Some great stuff from Nazem Kadri postgame talking about his return to Ball Arena, the atmosphere and I asked him about his assist to Nathan MacKinnon and getting a point in his Avalanche return. pic.twitter.com/WtcpqgSuYV

— Will Petersen (@PetersenWill) March 8, 2026

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