Tanner Jeannot and Nicolas Deslauriers fought for nearly a full minute Tuesday night, a rematch of their February fight, in the first period of a showdown between the NHL’s top two teams, and the whole thing was caught on video as it happened. View the fight video below.
The Boston Bruins forward, Jeannot, and the Carolina Hurricanes forward, Deslauriers, dropped the gloves at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, and the bout lasted close to a minute, according to Sportsnet. Early accounts did not identify the trigger, whether a hit, an exchange of words or a spontaneous scrap. Accounts described a back-and-forth heavyweight exchange, with both players landing punches and neither giving ground.
Viewers on social media labeled it a true heavyweight bout and an early contender for fight of the year.
Here’s the whole brutal battle, on video.
Jeannot, Deslauriers Share Fight History
The two had battled once before, on Feb. 28, 2026, when Deslauriers played for the Philadelphia Flyers and the fight began at 8:33 of the first period in Philadelphia. They appeared to trade words beforehand, including during warmups, according to MassLive.
Deslauriers landed early punches while Jeannot searched for positioning. Jeannot took control late with overhand rights, hooks and jabs, and one hook near the bridge of the nose left Deslauriers bloodied.
Each player received a five-minute fighting major. Fans voting on HockeyFights sided with Jeannot, giving him 84% of 142 votes.
Jeannot, 29, was born May 29, 1997, in Estevan, Saskatchewan, and is listed at 6-foot-2 and 222 pounds. Undrafted out of the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL, he signed with the Nashville Predators as a free agent, then played for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Los Angeles Kings. Boston signed him to a five-year, $17 million contract in July 2025.
The physical forward, nicknamed the Oxbow Ox, has 56 goals and 62 assists and roughly 490 penalty minutes in 383 games. He scored 24 goals as a rookie with Nashville in 2021-22.
Deslauriers, 35, was born Feb. 22, 1991, in LaSalle, Quebec, and is listed at 6-foot-1 and 218 pounds. The Los Angeles Kings chose him in the third round, 84th overall, in 2009. He has since played for the Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild, Philadelphia Flyers and Hurricanes, totaling 808 penalty minutes in 716 games with 109 points.
The Flyers traded Deslauriers to Carolina on March 6 for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2027, and after he played seven regular-season games and one playoff game, the Hurricanes petitioned the league to put his name on the Stanley Cup.
“Still thinking about it gives me chills,” Deslauriers said, according to NHL.com. He was describing a phone call from Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky, who told him of the petition the day before the title parade.
Here’s video of the earlier fight between the two enforcers.
Boston Bruins vs. Carolina Hurricanes: Stakes and Score
The fight came in a game tied 1-1 after one period. Pavel Zacha gave Boston the lead with a power-play goal 91 seconds in, assisted by Elias Lindholm and David Pastrnak, according to X user @jackstudley13. Jackson Blake tied it for Carolina with 52 seconds left in the period. Carolina outshot Boston 12-8.
The Hurricanes entered at 9-2-2 with 20 points, and the Bruins stood at 9-2-1 with 19, according to NHL.com. Those marks made them the top two teams in the league by points, with Carolina leading the Metropolitan Division and Boston leading the Atlantic.
Carolina is also the defending Stanley Cup champion, having won the title last season. A Hurricanes victory would extend their lead at the top of the standings, while a Bruins victory would close the gap.
Brutal Bruins-Hurricanes Fight Caught on Video: Watch Deslauriers Battle Jeannot