'IT'S MY STYLE'

ELMONT, NEW YORK - It's been about 10 years now since the NHL mandated a more flexible, more absorbent system of boards and glass.
But not even that is enough to lessen the impact of the runaway freight train known as Nikita Zadorov.
Just ask Nico Hischier, or Jack Hughes, or any number of players that were on the receiving end of the 6-foot-6, 248-lb. wrecking ball on Saturday.
"It gets me going," Zadorov said with a smirk of his punishing physical style. "I think that's been the case my whole career.
"It's definitely something I look to do at the start of a game to get myself into it.
"It's my style."

And as we all know, 'Big Z' - the fashion icon with impeccable taste and ravishing game-day chic - knows a thing or two about that.
In the simplest terms, the 27-year-old has taken his game to a new level this year.
With Chris Tanev already out with an upper-body injury, and Zadorov's regular partner - Michael Stone - now joining him in the infirmary, No. 16 is entering a new phase of his Flames career. After setting a career high in ice time with 28:24 in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Devils, Zadorov is fully aware of the opportunity in front of him.
"It's huge," he explained after Monday's morning skate. "Every player in this league looks for it, when you get a chance to eat up extra minutes and play in bigger situations, it's definitely exciting for me.
"You like playing as many minutes as you can. It's exciting. When you lose key players, it's not good for your team. We've got some younger players in now and we have to step up and fill that role for them. That's what we're going to do (tonight)."

Zadorov and the Flames are looking to snap a four-game slide (0-3-1) tonight when they open a three-game road trip against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.
It's often said that the closer you get to ending a rough patch, the closer your game gets to that sustainable style that made you successful in the first place. While Saturday's battle-back point was hardly a Picasso - that debilitating first period forcing them to play catchup - the final 40 showed guts.
The Flames got back to 'their' game, with an aggressive forecheck, speed in transition, and a small stead of minute-munching blueliners taking responsibility after losing a soldier early in the contest.
"It showed the character inside our room, for sure," Zadorov said. "But we had a bad start and gave up an easy first three goals. In this league… It's hard to come back when you're down a couple goals at the start of the game. The focus tonight is to have a better start than last game."
Zadorov finished the night with a game-leading five hits, before playing the biggest of all parts in the comeback by scoring the game-tying goal in superb fashion off the rush.
His possession numbers were exceptional, with no other defenceman - on either team - matching his 61% shot share.
All this, and with only one offensive zone start to help pad those numbers.

Afterward, Head Coach Darryl Sutter lauded Zadorov's efforts and was hopeful that type of energy could rub off on some of the younger D men moving forward.
Zadorov hopes so, too.
"I talk a lot - if you ask around the room about me," he laughed. "Obviously, I'm trying to get the guys going all the time, as many chances as I get. For sure, playing with energy, playing with an edge, that's my style on the ice. I'll going to stick to it.
"I'm not Nik Lidstrom or Cale Makar, right? But I'm enjoying it.
"This is a great opportunity and I probably need to do more to help our team to win hockey games. We're still on a four-game losing streak and that's unacceptable, and now I'm playing a bigger role, a bigger responsibility tonight to play in the Top 4.
"I probably have to do something a little bit better to help my team win.
"And that's the main thing right now."