Nikita Zadorov’s night against Anaheim spilled over into the next game, and not in a way the Bruins liked. Jim McBride of the Boston Globe reported that the 31-year-old defenseman was unhappy about sitting out after the double-minor he took against Frank Vatrano in Boston’s 4-2 win over the Ducks. That penalty sequence turned into his second and third infractions of the night, and it came during what the article described as his poorest outing of 2026-27.
Marco Sturm responded by scratching Zadorov for the Bruins’ 4-1 win over the Kings. Zadorov, though, made it clear he sees no reason to step away from the style that defines him.
“Listen, we are Boston Bruins, and we play that brand of hockey, and I’m fitting this brand really well. And I believe it fits me pretty well, as well,” said the 6-foot-7-inch, 244-pound Zadorov.
“And I’ve been playing my whole life that way. I’m a big, physical D.
I’m an emotional person on and off the ice, and I’m emotionally invested on and off the ice. So, when I go out there, I will die for any of my teammates and this logo that’s on my chest.
That’s what I play for, I play for the pride. So, when I go out there, I’ll leave everything on the ice.”
The penalties pushed Zadorov to 29 PIM’s, which leads the Bruins and also tops the NHL. That fits the bigger picture with Boston, which has now played only three games without him since the start of the 2024-25 season. In that stretch, the Bruins have been a +20 goal differential with him on the ice.
Pavel Zacha is dealing with a different kind of uncertainty. He missed the Kings game too after leaving the Anaheim matchup because of an undisclosed injury, and he’s now a game-time decision against the Dallas Stars.
Through eight games this season, Zacha has five points, a solid start to his 2026-27 campaign. The article also notes that, if he doesn’t re-sign in Boston, he projects as one of the top unrestricted free agent centers next summer.
Without Zacha, the Bruins shuffled their lines, moving Fraser Minten and Matthew Poitras up to the first and second lines while Sean Kuraly handled the fourth-line center spot behind Elias Lindholm.
There’s also uncertainty around Michael Eyssimont and Henri Jokiharju. Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe reported that both players declined to say whether they had requested trades from the Bruins.
Jokiharju, who is in the second season of a three-year deal with a $3 million AAV, has been the subject of trade talk before, with Elliotte Friedman previously reporting that Boston was shopping him. The former first-round pick can add depth offense from the blue line.
Eyssimont, meanwhile, is making his case from the AHL. He has two hat tricks and seven goals for eight points in just four AHL games, production that strongly suggests he doesn’t belong there.
In Other News...
Ducks Got A Tough Islanders Look They May See Again
Early in the 2026-27 season, the Islanders have already had to improvise with injuries thinning their forward group, and the ripple effect showed up in a recent game against the Ducks. With Mathew Barzal, Calum Ritchie and Matias Maccelli unavailable, Kyle MacLean and Mitchell Chaffee were pushed into the lineup and into a fourth-line role alongside Casey Cizikas, giving New York a different kind of look than the one Anaheim might normally expect to see.
What stood out for the Ducks was how hard that unit played. MacLean and Chaffee brought a physical edge, handled their defensive responsibilities and gave the Islanders a more rugged bottom-six presence in a game that got attention from the coaching staff for the way they fit into the matchup. Anaheim may not be seeing the same exact lineup next time, but the Islanders have made it clear they can still lean on role players to change the tone when the roster is short-handed. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Suddenly Have A Troubling Pattern Fans Cant Ignore
A rough stretch keeps following the Ducks around, and the latest stop only deepened the concern. Anaheim dropped a 3-2 decision to the Islanders at UBS Arena, a loss that extended the skid to four straight games. Frank Vatrano found the net for Anaheim, while Luk Dostl turned aside 22 shots in a game where the Ducks again needed more offense than they could produce.
The more troubling part is how familiar these nights are starting to look. New York got goals from Ondrej Palat, Victor Eklund and Simon Holmstrom, and Anaheim never fully recovered from the early damage. With the losses piling up, the Ducks are left trying to find a cleaner, more complete effort before the slide starts to feel even heavier. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Affiliate Faces Early Test As Firebirds Visit San Diego
The San Diego Gulls are back at Pechanga Arena San Diego to open a four-game homestand, and the timing gives them an early chance to settle in after a mixed start to the season. At 3-3-1-0, there has been enough good hockey to suggest the group is finding its footing, and enough uneven stretches to leave room for improvement as the Coachella Valley Firebirds come in for the second meeting between the teams this year.
A 2-2-2-1 Firebirds record says this one should offer another tight, useful measuring stick for a Gulls squad still sorting through its identity in the early going. Assistant coach Steve McCarthy and goaltending coach Jeff Glass have both pointed to the teams recent performance and the work of Laurent Brossoit and Damian Clara as part of that bigger picture, and this homestand now becomes a chance to turn those encouraging signs into something more consistent. [Read more 🡒]