Sunday, July 7, 2013

Zadorov hit a key moment in London's run

It was game five of the OHL Western Conference final. The London Knights were leading the Plymouth Whalers 2-0 at the start of the second period. With a 3-1 series lead, the Knights were smelling blood but knew they had to keep their foot on the gas pedal in order to close it out. That's when Nikita Zadorov stepped in.

Plymouth forward Tom Wilson had been lighting it up all series long. The Washington Capitals prospect had victimized London goaltenders six times in the previous three games and was again getting opportunities. It was clear that knocking him of his game would help the Knights maintain their edge and provide a spark on the bench. Enter Zadorov, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound Sherman tank on skates who seemed to be the right man for the job.

 When Zadorov says that he "likes to hit", this is what he means:



Mission accomplished.

Plymouth ended up rallying to force overtime, but Max Domi scored the winner to give the Knights a 4-1 series victory. Following the game, Zadorov was praised for his freight-train job that no doubt rattled one of the Whalers' top guns at a key point in the series. Sometimes hits are as good as goals, and you can bet that Sabres scouts were on hand to witness the effort.