Nikita Zadorov wasn’t quite finished ruffling the feathers of the Islanders and their supporters even after leaving the ice at UBS Arena.
Following the game, the Bruins defenseman playfully taunted Islanders fans on social media. This came after several fans flooded his Instagram DMs, expressing their displeasure over Zadorov’s confrontation with rising star Matthew Schaefer during the Islanders’ 4-3 shootout defeat.
On his Instagram Story, Zadorov posted a screenshot showcasing messages from what appeared to be disgruntled Islanders fans, labeling him with various insults, including “scumbag” and “p—y.”
“Get out of my DMs and go to the rink to cheer for your team,” Zadorov quipped in his Instagram Story. “THAT PLACE WAS A [LIBRARY] TONIGHT!!!”
The altercation with Schaefer unfolded midway through the second period when Zadorov delivered a stick shove to the Islanders defenseman, eventually sending the rookie tumbling to the ice. As Schaefer attempted to rise, Zadorov pushed him back down with an upper-body strike.
This incident prompted Anthony Duclair and Islanders captain Anders Lee to rush in to defend Schaefer, soon followed by the other Islanders players on the ice.
Zadorov was eventually assessed a double minor for roughing and two minutes for interference.
After the game, he joked about the chaos that he had seen his penalty minutes from last season and wanted to raise his numbers.
He also took a jab at Islanders fans about the crowd noise inside the building.
“We needed to create our own energy because the crowd was sleeping tonight a little bit,” Zadorov told reporters. “So I felt like we had to go out there and create our own energy, get everybody going on the bench, get excited.”
The Islanders and Bruins will play once more on Long Island when the Bruins come to visit the night before Thanksgiving, and Zadorov is sure to garner some attention over his comments.
