Nikita Zadorov’s immediate ejection sparks possible suspension talk
Nikita Zadorov is in serious trouble. The Bruins defenceman cross-checked Rasmus Dahlin after the whistle, snapped his stick on him, then threw a punch.
Boston had already lost the game by then. Buffalo rolled 6-1, and Marco Sturm pulled Jeremy Swayman as the Bruins came apart in front of him.
The frustration boiled over late. With play stopped, Zadorov went after Dahlin in a sequence that had nothing to do with hockey and everything to do with a team coming apart at the seams.
Five-minute major. Game over. Hearing pending.
The Department of Player Safety will absolutely be making a phone call. A cross-check between play, a broken stick, and a punch on a star defenceman? That earns a hearing every time.
Here's the eye test on the clip. The big Russian drives the cross-check into Dahlin's back away from the puck, the shaft splinters on contact, and the follow-up punch lands before officials can step in.
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Marco Sturm faces a Game 5 lineup hole he cannot afford
The Bruins finished the regular season 45-27-10 and 100 points. None of that matters now.
They're staring at a do-or-die game with potential supplemental discipline hanging over a top-four blueliner.
The 31-year-old plays a specific role. He makes $5 million against the cap and gives Boston physicality on a back end without an obvious replacement waiting in the press box.
Lose him for a game and the matchups against Dahlin's line get harder. Lose him for two and the series might already be over.
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The Swedish defenceman, for the record, is the guy you don't want to poke. He posted 74 points in 77 games and went plus-18 for a Buffalo team that ran the Atlantic Division.
Swayman, meanwhile, is in his own free fall. The pull tells you everything. He carried a .930 save percentage through the first three playoff games of this series.
Tonight he didn't get to finish.
Why does a $8.25 million goalie get yanked in a series his team is already trailing? Because Sturm had to send a message to a room that quit on him.
Game 5 is in Buffalo. The Bruins might be missing more than just their composure when the puck drops.
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APRIL 26, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Bowen Byram | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Josh Doan | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Peyton Krebs | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex Tuch | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Zach Benson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Joel Edmundson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sean Kuraly | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nathan MacKinnon | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Cale Makar | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Beck Malenstyn | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Greenway | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nazem Kadri | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Adrian Kempe | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Tyson Kozak | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alex Laferriere | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Gabriel Landeskog | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan McLeod | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Owen Power | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Quinn | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Tage Thompson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||