At the end of the second period of Saturday night's 4-3 come-from-behind win over the Montreal Canadiens, things looked very bad for Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov. He took a hit in the defensive end, and his skate got caught in the ice, and his right knee landed awkwardly. He was down for a while and ended up leaving the ice with the help of his teammates, without putting any pressure on his leg.
Somehow, someway, Zadorov came out for the third period and played. It was rather incredible to see. He wasn't the same player as he usually is, but his presence was enough. After the game, head coach Marco Sturm said that his blueliner was going to travel to New York, but it was unclear if he was going to play against the New York Rangers on Monday night.
Bruins give big update on Nikita Zadorov
With the impending storm barreling across the United States and dropping feet of snow and sleet in the Northeast, the Black and Gold changed their plans for the weekend after the game. Instead of practicing on Sunday in Boston and flying to New York, they tried to beat the storm and traveled after the game. They held a practice there on Sunday, and after, they gave an update on Zadorov.
According to Ryan Johnston, the Bruins' radio play-by-play announcer, Zadorov didn't practice and was receiving treatment. A decision on his availability will be made before the game. If he can't play, defenseman Henri Jokiharju is available after the birth of his child.
Make no mistake about it, the Bruins need Zadorov in the lineup, but with a back-to-back with travel and hosting the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night, it feels like if Zadorov can play, he'll play in one and not the other. Regardless, it appears that the Black and Gold dodged a major injury bullet.