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Nazem Kadri returns from thumb surgery and scores Stanley Cup Final overtime goal that no one realizes went in

By Chris Cerullo

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June 23, 2022 12:32 am

Nazem Kadri has had an absolute whirlwind of a 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs and on Wednesday night he added what could be the beginning of a fairytale ending chapter.

Returning from thumb surgery that caused him to miss four games, he roofed the overtime winner in Game Four of the Stanley Cup Final. The only problem is…no one realized the puck went in for an awkward amount of time before the celebration could start.

Kadri’s postseason roller coaster ride to this point has featured thrown water bottles during postgame interviews…apparently in the name of God, a hat trick goal and a flying elbow attempt, and most recently a dirty hit that took him out of action until Wednesday night.

He has persevered through all and capped off a win that takes the Colorado Avalanche to the brink of hoisting Lord Stanley.

On the goal, Kadri receives a brilliant outlet pass from Artturi Lehkonen that springs him right up the middle of the Lightning zone with control of the puck. He then makes a wonderful push-through move on a tired Mikhail Sergachev to bring the puck to his forehand and fire past a stunned Andrei Vasilevskiy.

The puck lodges right up between the bar and the top of the net and it appears that only really Vasilevskiy and defenseman Bowen Byram of the Avalanche, who may have been the furthest player away from the play on the ice, noticed the game was over.

“I’ve been waiting for this my whole life, so I figured I’d stop waiting and just try to join the party,” Kadri told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan in a postgame interview on the bench. “I’m just grateful I’m able to be in this position and with this group of guys, you couldn’t have written a better story.”

In a goal full of confusion when it was scored, Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper only added more fuel to the fire in his postgame comments. Cooper took one question, spoke for two minutes, and said his “heart breaks for the players” because the winning goal shouldn’t have counted but refused to elaborate on why until tomorrow.

Without clarification from Cooper, we have to assume that he’s speaking of a potential missed too many men on the ice call on Colorado.

Drama, spice, and everything nice. Playoff hockey, baby.

Update (1:40 AM):

Screenshot via ESPN

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