Bruins’ Nikita Zadorov Takes Responsibility For Numerous Penalties

The Boston Bruins lead the league with 40 (!!) minor penalties through seven games.

Defenseman Nikita Zadorov is the Bruins’ biggest offender, having committed at least one penalty in each of Boston’s games this season.

“Well, I got seven in a row. I don’t know what to say,” Zadorov told reporters following the Bruins shutout loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I mean, it’s on me. Honestly, I got to be better.”

Zadorov was brought in during the offseason to add an element of snarl to the Bruins. Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 248 pounds, Zadorov has a bruising style that has already made its mark in the lineup. However, playing with that edge has put the defensive behemoth in the sin bin for 21 minutes across seven games.

“Those penalties, sometimes they happen,” Zadorov said. “Try to save a play, try to make a hard play, turnover. You don’t want the puck to go in your net; you’ve got to prevent it, you’re going to take a penalty. That’s what happened (against the Predators), for me at least.”

For a franchise that has built an identity as a team that’s hard to play against, Zadorov is the perfect fit. His ability to neutralize players in the front of the net should eventually outweigh the number of penalties he’s taken. He just has to find his groove within the Bruins’ system.

The Bruins’ lack of discipline against the Nashville Predators, with six penalties in the game, led to a 4-0 shutout loss on Tuesday night.

“Some guys were sitting for 10 minutes (because of the penalties),” Zadorov said. “They’re not getting their shifts and losing their legs. It takes away the momentum of the game and gives the other team the momentum.”

The Predators capitalized on the Bruins’ miscues with one power-play goal and a second as time expired on a double-minor high-sticking penalty to Charlie McAvoy in the second period.