So far this season, some Boston Bruins fans are disappointed in the play of defenseman Nikita Zadorov. There has been no doubt that he hasn't been as good or as effective as he was in his first two seasons with the Black and Gold.
In fact, second-year head coach Marco Sturm sent an early message last month during the Black and Gold's four-game West Coast road trip. After Zadorov was whistled for multiple minor penalties in a game against the Anaheim Ducks, he was scratched 24 hours later against the Los Angeles Kings. That didn't go over well with Zadorov or his agent.
However, on Sunday afternoon, the Bruins hosted the Florida Panthers at TD Garden in an early-season showdown with a team that has become an Atlantic Division rival after two postseason matchups in 2023 and 2024. The Panthers were on the back end of a back-to-back after losing 4-3 on Saturday afternoon to the Washington Capitals, and Boston had been off since a 6-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night. Could Boston be in for a slow start? Zadorov made sure they didn't.
Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov explains fight with Brady Tkachuk following puck-drop
When the puck was dropped on Sunday afternoon, Zadorov and Panthers forward Brady Tkachuk dropped the gloves and had an old fashioned rock'em, sock'em fistfight just two seconds into the game. Zadorov didn't mince words about setting the tone early in the game.
Fight! Nikita Zadorov and Brady Tkachuk drop the gloves off the opening faceoff. pic.twitter.com/C5Q8ZK6xMM
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin9) November 8, 2026
"I thought we could get momentum from that,'' said Zadorov, per BostonBruins.com. "We did. I'm glad it worked out.''
It certainly did work out. Boston scored two goals shortly after the fight, one by Elias Lindholm and another by Mikey Eyssimont, who was just recalled from the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL). Two goals in the first 6:11. Morgan Geekie later added a power-play strike for a 3-0 first-period advantage, and it really did set the tone in a 4-1 victory.
Florida is again dealing with some injuries this season, including former Boston captain Brad Marchand. Aleksander Barkov is also out again after missing last season with an injury. However, once they get healthy, they are going to be tough for the rest of the Eastern Conference to deal with.
Zadorov has caught the ire of some Bruins fans early in the season, and he has struggled to stay out of the penalty box at times, but give him credit, when he needed to send an early message and got his team some momentum, he did, and it led to a big early-season win. For one afternoon, all was forgotten for Boston Bruins fans.
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