BOSTON — You may be surprised that Nikita Zadorov, the Bruins’ 6-foot-7, 250-pound toughness-oozing defenseman, has not been called for a hooking, high sticking, or slashing penalty the entire season.

He has, however, been assessed 10 roughing penalties. He’s gone to the penalty box six other times for interference, five times for tripping, been assessed four 10-minute misconducts, fought three times, twice been whistled for cross checking, holding, and a delay of game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass. Also on his resume are solo penalties for boarding and goalie interference.

Zadorov leads the NHL in both penalties (36) and penalty minutes (113). He’s ahead of last season’s league-leading pace of total penalties (50) and penalty minutes (145). At his current rate, Zadorov would be the first NHLer to eclipse 200 PIM’s in one season since journeyman Michael Haley did so with the Panthers in 2017-18, piling up 212.

This, however, is not a Zadorov-based story. It’s more on the Bruins’ proclivity for taking penalties as a team, and how it’s bound to hurt their already tenuous hopes of making the postseason after missing out a year ago.

Entering Thursday’s return to TD Garden to face the Calgary Flames, the Bruins were the league leaders in both penalties taken (220) and penalty minutes (605). In fact, Boston is atop the NHL leaderboard in all sorts of infraction-based categories.

The Black-and-Gold have been sent off the ice 187 times for minor penalties. They are averaging a league-high 14:04 PIMs per 60 minutes of hockey. They have a minus-38 net rating of penalties taken vs. penalties drawn (182), the worst mark in the Original 32. They are taking 5.05 penalties per 60, and their net penalties per 60 (-0.87) is at the bottom of the NHL.

There is more.

Fighting, as we’ve known for some time, is no longer prevalent in the modern game. Boston’s 17 instances of fisticuffs in 43 games are only four less than they had in one game against the Minnesota North Stars on Feb. 26, 1981 (for those of you who remember fondly). Still, those 17 instances of dropping the mitts are tied with the Flames for second-most this season, trailing only upcoming Stadium Series opponent Tampa Bay’s 20.

The Causeway Street residents have also been given 13 misconducts, with Calgary in the penthouse with 16. (But hey, no game misconducts — yet).

Boston has been shorthanded an NHL-leading 167 times, accumulating another NHL-leading total of 278:29 minutes. They’ve allowed 35 goals while shorthanded, tied with Vancouver for the most. They have had to kill a dozen 5-on-3 penalties and spent a full 11 1/2 minutes playing two men down (again, both league high totals).

Zadorov is hardly the only law-breaking Bruin. Take Mark Kastelic; the rough-and-tumble forward has taken 22 penalties and is fourth in the NHL in penalty minutes (80). Tanner Jeannot, the recently injured defender Hampus Lindholm and cornerstone blue liner Charlie McAvoy are all averaging over a penalty minute per game.

The Bruins haven’t averaged this many penalty minutes a game since Dave Lewis’ only season behind the Boston bench (2006-07) saw his club ring up 1,256 PIMs, an average of 15:19 a contest.

It’s not just the amount of infractions the Bruins are racking up; it’s when they’re happening.

Take Tuesday’s game in Seattle, the last of a five-game road trip. With Zadorov off for interference, goalie Jeremy Swayman tripped Jordan Eberle in front of his net just nine seconds later. Ten seconds after that, the Kraken scored easily when Eberle buried one on the doorstep.

One period later, Boston was trying to get to the second intermission tied at 2-2 when Seattle scored to take the lead back. Alex Steeves then got caught slashing 16 seconds later, and with one second before the horn the hosts’ Jared McCann cashed in again for the hosts, 4-2. When it was all said and done, the Bruins flew back across the country with a 7-4 defeat.

Postgame, head coach Marco Sturm referred to his team’s season long penchant for taking untimely penalties as “immature”.

What these sentences in the sin bin may ultimately do is keep the Bruins from fighting their way back into the playoff picture.

Penalized by penalties. Isn’t it ironic?

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Executive Sports Editor Phil Stacey covers the Boston Bruins for CNHI Sports Boston. Contact him at pstacey@salemnews.com and follow him on X @PhilStacey_SN