Player Safety Punishes Evgeni Malkin and Nikita Zadorov After Last Night's Bench Incident
When it comes to payback, veteran Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin proved to the Boston Bruins that he is willing to risk suspension for a chance at getting even.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a slow start to the season, currently standing at 26th in the league, with the worst goal differential at -32.
However, the team seemed to all get in gear against the middle-sitting team Boston Bruins, who were expected to be a tough matchup.
Despite Boston's predicted advantage, defenseman Nikita Zadorov from the bench found an opportunity to make a cheap poke at Evgeni Malkin's back.
Instead of letting the situation be, the 38-year-old forward swung back at the bench, seeming to catch a player in the head.
There you see Zadorov, he decides he's going to bring up the stick. Just give him a quick little poke, and now Malkin swings his stick like that, and hits somebody in the head I think!"
As a result of their actions, both players were assessed penalties, yet with the danger presented by his hit.
While there is no good reason for Zadorov to have poked a player on the ice, the Department of Player Safety had to hold the both players accountable.
As the NHL shared recently a deliberate, avoidable hit to one's head is already grounds for suspension, doing so in response to an ornery benched player seems much further beyond the scope of what they would consider appropriate conduct.
Even if there is a chance he could end up off the ice for this response, Evgeni Malkin was successful in helping the Penguins make the ultimate payback, taking the game 2-1.
Player Safety has just punished both Malkin and Zadorov for the incident last night.
| POLL | ||
Does Evgeni Malkin deserve a suspension for responding to Nikita Zadorov's poke? | ||
| Yes | 100 | 38.8 % |
| No | 145 | 56.2 % |
| Not enough info | 13 | 5 % |
| List of polls | ||
