Oilersโ€™ netminder Stuart Skinner exits the game momentarily following incident with Bruinsโ€™ Nikita Zadorov

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    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 Oilersโ€™ 4-0 win.

    โ€œWe clashed pretty solidly,โ€ Skinner remarked after stopping 26 shots in just about 55 minutes of play. โ€œThatโ€™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. Itโ€™s part of the game in the NHL; these things happen.โ€

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

    The incident occurred when Zadorov attempted to maneuver in front of the net with the puck and collided with Skinner, resulting in the goalieโ€™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, โ€œThat was quite an impactful hit. Itโ€™s a tough situation. They made the right decision; once the playerโ€™s health is in question, the spotters must act to ensure he receives the necessary evaluation.โ€