Lightning's Nikita Kucherov named NHL MVP for second time - CBC

Tampa Bay improves to 5-0-0 at home; Vancouver loses seventh straight TAMPA -- Nikita Kucherov scored twice to rally the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 4-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Benchmark International Arena on Saturday.

When the Boston Bruins signed Nikita Zadorov to a contract a couple of summers ago, general manager Don Sweeney got what he had been looking for: a big, physical defenseman who fits the mold of how the Bruins play. The last two seasons, he's been big for the Black and Gold on the backend, even when the Bruins struggled through a rough 2024-25 regular season. Some see him as a potential locker room leader. That might be the case, but he hasn't looked like it so far in 2026-27. However, he has slowly been making very undisciplined decisions on the ice, and his penalty troubles continue on a nightly basis. After his performance on Friday night against the Anaheim Ducks, second-year head coach Marco Sturm has had enough. Bruins make defenseman Nikita Zadorov a healthy scratch against the KingsIf there is one thing that we learned about Marco Sturm in his first year as head coach, it's that he isn't afraid to sit a veteran to send a message. We saw it last season with Casey Mitttlestadt last year, also in October, and the results were much better after that. Sturm decided to sit Zadorov against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night, and he didn't beat around the bush as to why.

Boston Bruins fans will always have a soft spot for a large defenseman who attempts to take people's heads off when he gets mad. Nikita Zadorov throws at least one hit per game where you fear for the other player's safety, and in true Boston fashion, we love it. However, when multiple frustrating things outweigh those one or two hits, we might be developing a problem. My biggest concern with Zadorov is that he is visibly struggling to keep up with a game that is only getting faster. The big man may have some great straight-line speed when he gets a full head of steam, but when shifty forwards force him to move laterally, Jeremy Swayman or Michael DiPietro may as well guarantee that a chance is coming their way. Sometimes Zadorov manages to ride a player off into the boards or stick a hip out, but the opposition is starting to figure out how to exploit his lack of agility, and it is becoming a massive problem for Boston's rush defense. Zadorov knows it too, and when players start beating him, his frustration causes even more problems.

The Pittsburgh Penguins said that their team plane had to return to Salt Lake City on Tuesday due to a medical episode involving forward Ben Kindel. The Penguins said the plane returned to Salt Lake City International Aiport shortly after takeoff.