Bruins' Nikita Zadorov claps back at Islanders fans over hostile messages after cross-checking Matthew Schaefer

Boston Bruins' Nikita Zadorov faced heavy criticism from NY Islanders fans following a cross-check to rookie Matthew Schaefer in Tuesday’s game.

In the second period, Zadorov was penalized for interference on Schaefer. As the 18-year-old rose to his knees, Zadorov, upset that his stick was being held, swung it into Schaefer’s face.

Matthew Schaefer fell to the ice, prompting Islanders teammates to confront the Bruins defenseman.

Later, Zadorov posted on Instagram, responding to the flood of hostile messages from Isles fans.

"Get out of my DMs. And go to the Rink To cheer for your team. THAT PLACE WAS LIBRARY TONIGHT!!!" he captioned the post."

(Image Source: Nikita Zadorov/IG)

As the scrum settled down, Nikita Zadorov was assessed three minor penalties. He received two-minute minors for roughing against Matthew Schaefer and Anders Lee, plus another two-minute minor for interference on Schaefer.

Matthew Schaefer's Islanders drop points in SO loss to Boston Bruins

On Tuesday, the New York Islanders lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Boston Bruins at UBS Arena.

After a goalless opening period, Anthony Duclair opened the scoring for the Islanders, giving them a 1-0 lead at 5:11 of the second period. At 12:12, Viktor Arvidsson tied it 1-1 for the Bruins before Bo Horvat restored a 2-1 lead for the Islanders at 13:06.

“I thought it was a pretty hard-fought game by both teams,” Horvat said via NHL.com. “Obviously, it's disappointing not to come out on the winning side of that. I thought we played pretty well for 60 minutes. We had our chances and just got to find a way to get it done.”

With less than three minutes remaining in the period, Pavel Zacha scored on the power play to make it 2-2 for the Bruins. Horvat scored his second of the night in the third period to make it 3-2 for New York.

Marat Khusnutdinov’s goal at 15:06 of the third tied it 3-3 to force overtime. The Bruins ultimately prevailed in the shootout. Matthew Schaefer contributed an assist in the matchup.

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Edited by Abhishek Dilta