Joe Sacco Has High Praise For Nikita Zadorov After Bruins OT Win

Bruins behemoth defenseman Nikita Zadorov had an outstanding night in Boston’s 3-2 overtime win against the Detroit Red Wings.

The first-year Bruin had an absolute missile of a goal, four hits, one takeaway and three minor penalties across 18:20 of ice time for the Black and Gold. Interim head coach Joe Sacco praised the hulking defenseman after the game.

“He was engaged in the game tonight,” Sacco told reporters, per team-provided audio. “He was physical, and he was just defending hard tonight. When he was on the ice, the opposition knew that he was playing and the goal was good.

“We’d like to see more of that. We talked about that. We talked about D being shot-ready, and there actually wasn’t any; I don’t think there was any traffic in front of him on that one. We were off to the side. We were trying to get there, but it was just a good enough shot where it went in off the post.”

For the past two games, Sacco paired Zadorov with Brandon Carlo, and the newly formed defensive pair paid dividends for the Bruins.

“I just think they have the ability to be a shutdown pair. Play against top lines,” Sacco explained. “(Zadorov), you know, more physical. Brandon’s hard to play against because of his reach and his smarts defensively. So, you know, if those two guys can gain some chemistry and play against top lines, they’re going to be an effective pair for us.”

The Bruins are 5-2-0 under Sacco. Zadorov sees the team playing with more “passion” since the coaching change.

“I think we’re playing with a passion. I think we’re playing with pride,” Zadorov told reporters, per team-provided audio. “I think we’re playing for each other. I thought we were disconnected before. That’s what wasn’t working.

“I don’t think we fixed much Xs and Os. I think it’s the same system, the same game plans. We’re just doing it this time. If one guy makes mistakes, other guys are gonna clean up for them. So, I think that’s the main change from the start of the year.”

After back-to-back wins against Original Six franchises — Montreal Canadiens and Detroit — the Bruins will look for their first three-game winning streak when they head to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks on Wednesday night.