Canucks defenceman Nikita Zadorov has been an absolute villain in this series against the Oilers. Tonight, he manifested it by drilling Evander Kane into the boards extremely hard, and giving him a couple extra shots for good measure.
Zadorov laid a clean and massive hit to send Kane into the bench, but then also lingered and gave him a few extra shots that earned him a roughing penalty. The Oilers didn't even get a powerplay out of it though, as Warren Foegele made a horribly undisciplined play to punch Zadorov from the bench. Near the end of the first clip, you can see Foegele stand up and deliver a punch towards Zadorov's head. Still, tonight's officiating has been something else entirely.
Zadorov's massive hit on Kane is just the latest example of making himself public enemy number one in Edmonton. He's been a physical and offensive force in this series, becoming the heartbeat of this Canucks team, and even blatantly insulted the city of Edmonton in a recent press conference. The Oilers need to find a way to get to Zadorov physically themselves, and find a way to dial down his confidence.
The Oilers still aren't out of this game tonight, but they'll be fighting an uphill battle to mount a comeback against the Canucks, and seemingly the referees too.
