Nikita Zadorov picked up a double minor and a misconduct as the Bruins and Blackhawks play out a tense third period tonight.
Boston and Chicago are still playing, with 13:14 left in the third period at the time of writing. The score isn't something to guess at, so we'll stick to what we know about Zadorov's night.
According to Gino Hard, the 6'7 defenseman was handed a 4-minute double minor for roughing, then a 10-minute misconduct. Hard wrote that it was presumably for a cheap shot on Alex Vlasic while the Chicago defenseman was down on the ice.
That's 14 minutes of penalty time in one sequence. For a team trying to protect or chase a result late, it's a heavy bill.
Zadorov came into the night with 33 penalty minutes through 13 games this season. He hadn't scored a goal and had four assists, along with a +6 rating.
The misconduct doesn't put Boston short-handed, but the double minor does. Coach Marco Sturm now has to lean on his penalty kill, and on the remaining defensemen, for a long stretch of the third.
Vlasic, 25, has two assists and a +1 rating in 13 games for Chicago. He's a 6'6 defender himself, and he was the one left on the ice.
Zadorov's discipline problem lands at a bad time for Boston
The Bruins arrived at this game on a two-game losing streak, after a 4-1 loss at St. Louis on Thursday. They still sit first in the Atlantic Division at 9-4-1.
Earlier today, we covered Nikita Zadorov's big hit on Connor Bedard. The physical edge he brings is clear, and Boston has leaned on it. But a cheap shot on a player who's already down is a different thing, and it's the kind of play that costs a team.
Zadorov has 1,031 penalty minutes over his NHL career. That number says a lot about the player Boston signed, and it's the reason a play like this will draw attention from the league.
Hard noted that Zadorov was given a double minor and a misconduct, apparently for a late shot on Vlasic.
Whether the NHL's Department of Player Safety takes a look isn't something the sheet can answer. What's certain is that the Bruins host Vegas on Monday, November 2, and they'll want their top-pair defenseman on the ice, not answering for this one.
