Maple Leafs take issue with Zadorov’s hit on Laughton
The Toronto Maple Leafs expressed concern after a heavy hit by Boston Bruins defenceman Nikita Zadorov forced centre Scott Laughton to leave Saturday night’s game in the second period. The Bruins defeated the Maple Leafs 5-3 at Scotiabank Arena.
Coach Berube’s Reaction
“I thought it was a head shot. I gotta take a closer look at it.”
Toronto head coach Craig Berube questioned the legality of Zadorov’s check and confirmed that Laughton will miss Sunday’s matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes. His return timeline remains uncertain.
Players Respond to the Hit
Following the hit, Leafs winger Bobby McMann confronted Zadorov on the ice.
“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.”
Team captain John Tavares also commented on the incident.
“I didn’t see it 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 for Bobby to get in there and step up for Laughty so that was a hell of a job by him.”
Laughton’s Status
Laughton, who had only recently returned from a lower-body injury sustained during training camp, had just made his regular season debut on Wednesday before this setback.
Summary
The Leafs criticized a controversial hit by Zadorov that sidelined Laughton shortly after his season debut, drawing strong reactions from both coach and teammates.