Nikita Zadorov took the Bruins off script Friday night in Anaheim, drawing a double minor for interference and roughing on Frank Vatrano.
The interference was bad enough. Then came the shot up high at the Ducks forward, and a two-minute mistake doubled on the spot.
The 31-year-old defenseman left the rink with six penalty minutes and went minus-2 in 12:04 of ice time.
This is exactly the kind of sequence the Department of Player Safety exists for. Zadorov already has a history there, and history matters when the league weighs a clip.
Marco Sturm can't love what he saw. Taking one penalty is part of a physical game, but stacking a second on top of it hands the opponent free time with the puck.
Here's the blunt part. Physical is fine, but this is a $5,000,000 player costing his own bench more than he's giving it right now.
Marco Sturm faces a blue line question before Los Angeles
The ice time already hints at the pecking order. Charlie McAvoy logged 19:10 on Friday, and Hampus Lindholm checked in at 17:22.
So what is Boston actually getting for the edge? Zadorov came into the night with three assists through seven games and only one point across his last five.
Picture a smoke detector that goes off every time someone makes toast. Useful in theory, exhausting in practice, and eventually somebody reaches for the battery.
Boston's power play still contributed. Frederic Brunet scored with the man advantage, and James Hagens and Pavel Zacha each picked up a power-play assist.
On the other side, Timmy Washe and Beckett Sennecke both found the back of the net for the Ducks. Vatrano was held to one shot in 9:49.
The Bruins walked into Anaheim at 5-2-0, riding three straight wins and a +10 goal differential.
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And there's no time to reset. Boston plays in Los Angeles on the back end of a back-to-back, then heads to Dallas on Tuesday.
If the league calls, Sturm is reshuffling his defense before puck drop. Silence from the league wouldn't settle much either, because the next whistle like this is one bad shift away.
Should the Department of Player Safety suspend Nikita Zadorov for his play on Frank Vatrano?
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