Maple Leafs React to Zadorov’s Hit on Laughton
Leafs centre Scott Laughton left Saturday night’s game after a hard hit from Bruins defenceman Nikita Zadorov in the second period. Boston Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.
Coach Craig Berube’s Reaction
“I thought it was a head shot. I gotta take a closer look at it.”
Berube spoke after the game, expressing concern over the hit that led to Laughton’s exit. Laughton is expected to miss Sunday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, though Berube couldn’t confirm how long he will be sidelined.
Player Responses
Bobby McMann confronted Zadorov immediately after the hit. McMann commented, “I didn’t really see the whole thing, just kind of caught it out of the corner of my eye. Didn’t really love the hit from what I saw and wanted to make sure he knew I didn’t like it.”
Centre John Tavares said, “I didn’t see it, to be honest, super clean. But don’t like anything high, that’s for sure, and I know our bench didn’t like it. Not an easy thing by Bobby to get in there and step up for Laughty, so that was a hell of a job by him.”
Laughton’s Injury Background
Laughton had just returned from a lower-body injury suffered during training camp, making his regular season debut only on Wednesday before this incident.
Nikita Zadorov, my GOODNESS 😱 Zadorov with a HIT STICK on Scott Laughton 🥊
Author’s summary: The Leafs expressed strong concern over Zadorov’s controversial hit, resulting in Laughton’s injury and missed games, highlighting tensions and team solidarity on the ice.