Flames Nazem Kadri blames officials for Jets remaining undefeated after blown call

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Daniel Lucente
October 28, 2024 (5:46 PM)

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Nazem Kadri is not happy one bit with the officiating and he feels that they are the reason the Flames were unable to win against the undefeated Jets.

Calgary Flames forward Nazem Kadri expressed some frustration with the officiating as his team battled hard in its contest against the Winnipeg Jets. With under four minutes remaining in the third, Kadri was whistled for slashing, and that infraction led to a power-play goal by Winnipeg, which became the game-winner. The Flames, after working their way back to draw even 3-3, now found themselves trailing on the play. The frustration boiled over for Kadri, who took a 10-minute misconduct in the wake of his outburst.

Kadri had been the star for the Flames earlier in the game, his third-period goal tying the contest. It was his slashing penalty, though, that flipped the contest in Winnipeg's favor. Cole Perfetti and Mason Appleton scored to extend the Winnipeg lead and seal a 5-3 win. Kadri's emotional response to the penalty showed the frustration that's clearly been building this season.

To this point in the season, Kadri has six points in eight games, but he's also struggled with discipline, compiling 16 penalty minutes and a minus-5 rating. His frustration isn't unjustified as many fans feel like the team has been on the wrong side of some questionable calls of late. Kadri's vocal criticism resonated with those feeling the Flames have been unfairly penalized in key moments.

Another key Flame frustrated on this night was Rasmus Andersson. Much like his partner, he's taken some tough penalties this year, but he's putting all the focus on rallying the troops. The Calgary crew, despite top efforts on the scoresheet from the likes of Mikael Backlund and Andersson, could simply not battle past an extremely busy Jets offense. Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor gave Winnipeg their lead earlier as Connor's shorthanded goal proved very pivotal.

In the end, it was the Calgary Flames giving the Jets a hard time, but the frustration from calls not going their way and missing their chances gave the game away. Winnipeg now went on an eight-game winning streak, making good on every break that went their way, thus leaving Calgary to think about both their performance and the penalties that cost them the game.