Calgary Flames forward Nazem Kadri was tossed from Saturday’s game against the New York Rangers after arguing with referee Francis Charron from the bench prior to overtime.
Earlier in the period, Kadri was whistled for an interference penalty against Rangers center Mika Zibanejad. Alexis Lafreniere scored on the resulting power play to tie the game.
It appeared the Calgary center was still frustrated by the call. He’d already been warned about arguing with the refs according to Flames head coach Darryl Sutter.
Still, he persisted. Kadri yelled over to referee Francis Charron before heading off the ice, then continued his tirade toward the official. Charron had heard enough, hitting Kadri with the ten-minute misconduct.
Kadri continued shouting, also breaking his stick, as linesman Ryan Galloway ushered him off the bench.
Here’s the sequence that got Nazem Kadri tossed from the game before OT started #Flames pic.twitter.com/x8CpCJRvfr
— Taranjot Vining (@Str8OuttaCGY) February 19, 2023
Fortunately for the Flames, the misconduct penalty meant Kadri would be gone for the night — but there was no loss of manpower on the ice. The Rangers did not get a power play as a result of the call.
The Flames were just fine without Kadri’s services in the extra session. Calgary’s Mikael Backlund deflected in a shot from Jonathan Huberdeau to earn the 3-2 overtime win.
Referees for the game were Francis Charron (#6) and Brandon Blandina (#39); linesmen were Bevan Mills (#53) and Ryan Galloway (#82).
