Nikita Zadorov’s Social Media Jabs at Islanders Fans

Nikita Zadorov wasn’t finished poking fun at the Islanders and their supporters even after stepping off the ice at UBS Arena.

The Bruins defenseman took to social media to tease Isles fans, who flooded his Instagram DMs with their thoughts following Zadorov’s rough play against rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer during the Islanders’ narrow 4-3 shootout loss.

He shared screenshots of the messages he received, which were likely from Islanders fans.

“Get out of my DMs, go to the rink and support your team,” Zadorov posted on his Instagram Story. “That place is [LIBRARY] tonight!”

This incident involving Schaefer unfolded midway through the second period when Zadorov shoved an Islanders defenseman with his stick, sending the rookie crashing to the ice. As Schaefer attempted to get back up, Zadorov pushed him further up the ice.

In response, Anthony Duclair and Isles captain Anders Lee rushed to protect Schaefer, followed by other players from the Islanders.

Zadorov ultimately received a double minor penalty for disorderly conduct, along with a two-minute penalty for obstruction.

After the game, he joked about the confusion and mentioned looking at his penalty stats from the previous season, indicating he hoped to improve his performance. He also made some remarks about the crowd noise at the rink.

“The audience was a little sleepy tonight, so we had to generate our own energy,” Zadorov told reporters. “It felt like we had to create some excitement ourselves to get the bench going.”

The Islanders and Bruins are set to face off again on Long Island the night before Thanksgiving, and Zadorov’s remarks are likely to attract attention.