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Quinn Hughes surprised by boos hurled at Nikita Zadorov in debut against Calgary Flames
Quinn Hughes led the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday. This was the first time these teams met after Nikita Zadorov's trade on Thursday. It was a much-anticipated debut against old Flames teammates for the 6-foot-6 defenseman.
Hughes was surprised that Calgary Flames fans at the Saddledome Arena did not shy away from booing their former defenseman, who recently joined the Canucks after requesting a trade from Calgary.
In the post-game interview, Hughes said:
"I'm surprised by the boos, but he said that could be a possibility. I thought he played great. It's not easy playing his first game here. I'm sure he had lots of emotions and whatnot. I'm sure he's excited to get back to Vancouver."
Nikita Zadorov played 17:37 minutes in the game and picked up a point in his Canucks debut with an assist on Elias Pettersson's empty netter.
Also read: Canucks captain Quinn Hughes opens up about Nikita Zadorov's addition after trade with Flames
Quinn Hughes on Nikita Zadorov's role in bringing defensive consistency
The Vancouver Canucks are 6-5 in their last 11 games after going through a "win-one-lose-one" situation in their previous eight games.
Addressing what needs to change to get out of this situation and be more consistent, Captain Quinn Hughes said:
"Just stand above guys, make it hard for the other team. Giving them nothing and making them earn their chances. With Big Z back here, it gives us a lot of depth defensively. We should be rolling after this."
Delving into the divisional rivalry with the Calgary Flames and his team's resilience in last night's game, Quinn Hughes said:
"Good win for us. These guys beat us a couple weeks ago and (this is a) divisional rivalry. So, good win for us."
The Canucks and the Flames are Pacific Division rivals. Currently, the Canucks are second with a 16-8-1 record. The Flames are 4th with 10-11-3. Both teams are scheduled to play against one another on two occasions in March and April 2024.
Nikita Zadorov on facing ex-Calgary Flames teammates
In his post-game interview, Zadorov talked about going up against his ex-Flames teammates. He had been with the Flames for two and half years and came in with "mixed emotions" in his debut game against Calgary.
The Russian defenseman's ex-teammates did not go easy on him.
“They were chirping me,” Zadorov said of his ex-teammates. “It's fun. It's between us. I love them. They love me. It's a mutual relationship. I had fun playing against them today.”
With Zadorov's addition, the Canucks' defensive depth has increased. They will look to cement their spot in the Pacific Division as Stanley Cup contenders.
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