In Boston, defenseman Nikita Zadorov made a point to express his apologies to Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner following a collision during their recent matchup. Skinner exited the game late in the first period after sustaining a hard hit from Zadorov, yet returned to the ice to resume play at the beginning of the second period, contributing to the Oilers’ 4-0 win.

“We clashed pretty solidly,” Skinner remarked after stopping 26 shots in just about 55 minutes of play. “That’s my fifth hit this year. Zadorov came up to me and apologized at the start of the second period, which was a nice gesture. It’s part of the game in the NHL; these things happen.”

Zadorov emphasized that he had no intention of injuring Skinner, stating, “I approached him right away.” The 6-foot-6 defenseman conveyed that causing harm to any player is never his goal. He expressed empathy, saying, “I wouldn’t want anyone to hurt my goalie, so I thought it was important to clarify that I did not intend any harm.”

The incident occurred when Zadorov attempted to maneuver in front of the net with the puck and collided with Skinner, resulting in the goalie’s mask being knocked off as he fell face-first onto the ice. After remaining on his knees for a few moments to speak with a team trainer, Skinner managed to get up and skate off the ice, subsequently heading to the dressing room. His spot was taken by Calvin Pickard, with 5:25 remaining in the first period. He went for a concussion evaluation post-incident.

For the collision, Zadorov was assessed a minor penalty for goaltender interference. Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch commented, “That was quite an impactful hit. It’s a tough situation. They made the right decision; once the player’s health is in question, the spotters must act to ensure he receives the necessary evaluation.”