The St. Louis Blues are down to their last strike, on the brink of elimination after Monday night’s loss to the Colorado Avalanche, but at least they won’t be without one of their top players. David Perron has avoided suspension and earned a $5,000 fine for his cross-check on Nazem Kadri, one of a number of questionable incidents involving the Blues sniper in Game 4.
The incident in question occurred partway through the second period and resulted in a two-minute minor from the on-ice officials. At the same time, Pavel Buchnevich took a penalty for roughing on Kadri after Perron and the Avalanche forward came together in the neutral zone. It wasn’t the only time Perron received a cross-checking penalty in the game — he was given a two-minute minor in the first period after delivering one to Cale Makar — and also likely wasn’t the only clip the Department of Player Safety reviewed from Monday night’s game.
Still, Perron was also the Blues’ best offensive player Monday night, scoring twice to take his playoff totals to nine goals and 13 points in 10 games. Losing that kind of production would have been a devastating blow as the team tries to claw out of the 3-1 series deficit. A fine means the league will be closely watching his conduct for any further supplementary discipline but means he can stay in the lineup and try to help the Blues stay alive Wednesday night.
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