Boston Bruins
WATCH: Nikita Zadorov Pummels Sam Bennet as Bruins Knock Off Panthers
BOSTON — After years of his team being used as a punching bag by Sam Bennett and the Florida Panthers, Nikita Zadorov punched back for the Boston Bruins Tuesday night at TD Garden.
While the Bruins were defending in their own zone protecting a one-goal lead late in the third period, Bennett thought it’d be a wise idea to mix it up with the behemoth Boston defenseman. But just as quickly as the fight began, Zadorov ended it, dropping Bennett with a series of heavy rights directly to the side of the Florida forward’s head.
“There’s definitely history between these two teams,” Zadorov said. “I wasn’t part of it, but I’m just playing hard. I’m in front–the guy cross-checks me in the face–I got to step up for myself. That was just the hockey moment over there. I wasn’t thinking to send a message or anything like that. I play hard against any player in the league. You can call it sending the message, but it’s just my style.”
Even after the referees pulled the two apart, Zadorov was still incensed and continued to yell at Bennet before they both headed down the tunnels toward their respective dressing rooms.
The fight was an emphatic exclamation point on a come-from-behind 3-2 win for the Bruins that sent both the TD Garden crowd and the rest of the Bruins into a frenzy.
“I haven’t been that fired up in a long time,” said Mason Lohrei. “That was unbelievable. He does so much for us. I mean, right before that, he saved a goal. The puck went out of play, and then we all know what happened after that. I love watching him play, as I’m sure all you guys do, too.”
While Zadorov is still new to the Bruins-Panthers rivalry, Bennett has been at the center of it from the very beginning. It was in Game 3 of last season’s second-round playoff series between Boston and Florida that Bennett hit Brad Marchand with a cheap shot that concussed the then-Bruins captain and knocked him out for the rest of the series.
As he has for many of Bennett’s antics over the years, Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman had a front-row seat to the fight.
READ MORE: Nikita Zadorov Defiant On Bruins Playoff Chances
“Zadorov did his job, and I thought he did it at the right time, which shows how much he cares,” Swayman said. “We’re not giving up in this group, and that’s something that we could build off of. It’s really a pivotal moment for our season at this point.”
Zadorov:
“There’s a lot of character in this team. There’s no quit.”#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/iaCY3qv1U3
— Andrew Fantucchio (@A_Fantucchio) March 12, 2025
Dropping the gloves with Bennett wasn’t all that Zadorov did in the game. He led the team with 22:48 of ice time, attempted 10 shots while landing five on net and had an assist on Pavel Zacha’s game-winning goal.
With defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm out of the lineup, as well as the recent departure of Brandon Carlo at the NHL trade deadline, Zadorov has taken on a bigger role along Boston’s blue line lately.
“When you’re missing two of your top defensemen, you need other guys to step up, and he’s been doing that lately,” Bruins interim coach Joe Sacco said. “He’s been playing hard. He’s battling out there.”
It’s a role that seems to suit Zadorov.
A big man, playing big minutes and delivering big hits and all with a big heart.
“He cares a ton about this group and this team,” said Swayman. “He has a passion for it. It’s just so good to see him have success and do things at the right time. He’s building his game the right way, which we can all really rally behind because he’s a big player for us. He’s a role player. Guys are going to get a ton of momentum off him when he’s buzzing.”
