Bruins' Nikita Zadorov makes his feelings known about Flames fans booing him after exit last season

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Dec 18, 2024 07:13 GMT

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Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov returned to Calgary on Tuesday night, where Flames fans booed him. Zadorov had requested a trade from Calgary a month into the 2023-24 season. The Flames traded him to Vancouver, and he later signed with the Bruins in the offseason.

However, Zadorov wasn’t bothered by the boos.

“Oh yeah. I wasn’t sure what to expect,” Nikita Zadorov said to reporters per NESN.com, “But it was only one shift. Last year it was every shift.” [3:45]

During an interview on the Dropping the Gloves podcast in December 2023, Zadorov explained his trade request.

“I wanted to stay there, but I did not get an offer… But everybody else did get offers, all the other UFA. So by that time, I think it was time to move in because we knew there were other teams that were super interesting.” Zadorov said per Flames Nation.

During the game on Tuesday, Zadorov played 20:25 alongside Charlie McAvoy. He helped the Bruins come back from a 3-1 deficit to win 4-3 in overtime.

"It's big for our team," Zadorov said about the win, per NHL.com, "I thought we had a really bad first period, and we gave up two really quick goals. After that, we took over the game. It's not how we want to play but it's great to see the character in the room to come back."

Morgan Geekie and Marc McLaughlin scored in the third period to tie the game. Lindholm scored two points and was named the first star. David Pastrnak became the third star of the game.

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Nikita Zadorov praised David Pastrnak for the game-winner

David Pastrnak scored the game-winner in overtime on Tuesday. He recorded four shots on goal in 23:06 minutes of ice time.

Pastrnak has 33 points this season with 12 goals and 21 assists. He is the team leader in assists and points. However, Brad Marchand is leading the team in goals with 13.

"Give the puck to 88 (David Pastrnak) or 63 (Brad Marchand), so great. That’s the emotion," Nikita Zadorov said about about Pastrnak's skill. "I mean, our best players put it in their hands, and they’re going to make it happen. After that, he (Pastrnak) had like a 3-minute shift, and he was barely skating, yet he still got a goal. I think that shows how high his skill set is and how great he’s playing in this league, for sure."

Despite being booed, Nikita Zadorov had a strong performance with three shots on goal, helping the Bruins secure a big win.