Maple Leafs Concerned Over Zadorov's Hit on Laughton
Toronto Maple Leafs centre Scott Laughton was forced to leave Saturday night’s game after a heavy hit from Boston Bruins defenceman Nikita Zadorov in the second period. The Bruins won 5-3 at Scotiabank Arena.
Coach Craig Berube’s Reaction
“I thought it was a head shot. I gotta take a closer look at it.”
Berube, the Bruins coach, expressed concern about the hit and is reviewing it. Laughton will miss Sunday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, though his longer-term recovery is uncertain.
Player Responses to the Hit
Bobby McMann, a Leafs winger, confronted Zadorov immediately after the hit. McMann said,
“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 commented on the incident,
“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.”
Background on Laughton’s Condition
Laughton had been dealing with a lower-body injury from training camp and only recently returned to regular season play on Wednesday.
Summary
The hit by Zadorov on Laughton sparked immediate concern from both teams, with Toronto’s players and coach questioning the nature of the hit as Laughton faces an uncertain recovery timeline.
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