Bruins' Nikita Zadorov claps back at Islanders fans flooding his DMs after roughing up Matthew Schaefer

New York Islanders fans made their thoughts known on the vicious hit Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov laid on the club’s star rookie Matthew Schaefer.

The incident, which took place during the second period of Tuesday night’s Islanders-Bruins tilt, prompted fans to flood Zadorov’s social media messages with less-than-kind words. The barrage of DMs led the Russian blueliner to tell Islanders’ fans to take a hike.

Here’s a look at Zadorov’s IG post asking fans to leave him alone:

Bruins' Nikita Zadorov claps back at Islanders fans flooding his DMs after roughing up Matthew Schaefer - Source: IG

In the caption, Zadorov wrote:

“Get out of my DMs and go to the rink to cheer your team. That place was a library tonight.”

The picture in the background shows the long list of messages insulting Zadorov. The messages warned Zadorov to leave Schaefer alone. As was evident on the ice, the Islanders did not take the situation lightly.

The replay showed captain Anders Lee and forward Anthony Duclair immediately jumping to Schaefer’s rescue, leading to an all-out brawl on the ice.

Nikita Zadorov got two minutes for interference and two minutes for roughing against Schaefer. The Bruins blueliner got an additional two minutes for roughing against the Islanders’ captain.

Islanders may need to get protection for Schaefer from players like Nikita Zadorov

A piece in the NY Post published late-night, November 4, looked at the potential need for the Islanders to get protection for Schaefer. The incident with Nikita Zadorov is not the first time he’s been roughed up.

However, the play against the Bruins on Tuesday night all but confirmed the Islanders must get specific protection for their prized rookie.

While the Islanders’ reaction on the ice was warranted, it came after the fact. That situation means the club may have to look into players who can patrol the ice to prevent further incidents from happening.

Previous Islanders’ tough guys like Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck have retired. Currently, the Islanders lack the “enforcer” type that some teams keep around. Players like Ryan Reaves of the San Jose Sharks, Nic Deslauriers of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Arber Xhekaj of the Montreal Canadiens are examples of players who hit the ice to add toughness to the team.

As Islanders coach Patrick Roy noted in the Post:

“Eventually, he’s gonna have the same protection as a star player.”

That comment underscores the need for the Islanders to either find an internal option to protect Schaefer or go out and get someone who roams the ice while Schaefer wields his magic.

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Edited by Nestor Quixtan