Bruins’ Nikita Zadorov reveals he was playing through a serious knee injury in playoffs

"Fully torn off the bone."

Nikita Zadorov was playing on a torn MCL in the playoffs. . (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

May 2, 2026 | 7:14 AM

1 minute to read

Prior to Boston’s eventual season-ending loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night, Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov acknowledged that he’s been playing through some sort of injury during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

And shortly after Boston’s eventual 4-1 loss in Game 6 at TD Garden, Zadorov finally admitted the extent of the ailment that he was dealing with.

“I tore my MCL in Game 3. Fully torn off the bone. I played on it a little bit,” Zadorov said in Boston’s locker room after the loss.

Despite the severity of that injury, Zadorov continued to log heavy minutes on Boston’s blue line over the final three games of Boston’s first-round series — logging 19:20 of ice time in Game 4, 23:11 in Game 5, and 21:52 on Friday night.

It’s unclear for now what offseason treatment Zadorov will need, along with what his expected recovery timeline will be.

The 31-year-old defenseman closed out his first playoff run with the Bruins with 19 hits, seven blocked shots, and one assist over six postseason bouts with Buffalo — averaging 19:35 of ice time per game.

Speaking after the loss, Zadorov lamented the missed opportunity that the Bruins had in front of them — especially in a first-round series where Boston lost all three games at TD Garden.

“Yeah, it’s tough. Sucks,” Zadorov said. “I mean, I feel like this opportunity — the group we had, the belief we have in this room, and this season. … It sucks. It really does. … It’s a missed opportunity.”

In a playoff series where the Bruins scored just one goal in regulation over each of its final four matchups against the Sabres, Zadorov also lamented Boston’s D-zone struggles, which tended to unravel on home ice.

“I think the margin of [error] is so high in the playoffs,” Zadorov said. “Our system is created to play as a five-man unit all the time. And I think at home, we got away from that little bit. … At home, we just got away from it, and that cost us three games at home.