Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov and Florida Panthers forward Brady Tkachuk dropped their gloves two seconds into Sunday’s matinee at TD Garden, straight off the opening faceoff of the first period, and the whole thing was caught on video. Watch the fight below.
So what lit the fuse? The trigger remains unclear beyond the faceoff itself. Zadorov landed punches and tossed Tkachuk to the ice as the crowd erupted, according to Sportsnet, and each player drew a five-minute major for fighting.
The two had tangled before, and not quietly. Watch today’s fight in the video below.
Bruins’ Nikita Zadorov, Panthers’ Brady Tkachuk Share History
The pair fought late in a 2025 game at TD Garden on Jan. 23, 2025, when Tkachuk still played for the Ottawa Senators. Both drew game misconducts.
Zadorov spent much of that night chirping.
“You want to get the crowd going?” he asked Tkachuk during a stoppage, as heard in the Bruins’ “Behind the B” mic’d-up video. He also invoked Tkachuk’s brother, Matthew, then added, “I thought more of you.” Tkachuk now plays alongside that brother in Florida.
Boston entered Sunday at 12-4-1, good for 25 points and first place in the Atlantic Division. Florida stood at 9-6-2 with 20 points, fifth in the division, a five-point gap behind the Bruins. It was their first meeting of the 2026-27 season, and Florida has won the last three meetings, including a 2-1 decision on April 2. Boston is 3-6-1 in the last 10.
Zadorov, born April 16, 1995, in Moscow, went 16th overall to Buffalo in the 2013 draft. He has since played for Colorado, Chicago, Calgary and Vancouver, and Boston is his sixth NHL franchise. The defenseman owns 53 goals, 142 assists and 195 points in more than 800 NHL games, plus more than 1,000 penalty minutes. This season, he has no goals, five assists and 47 penalty minutes.
Tkachuk, the son of former NHL forward Keith Tkachuk, was born Sept. 16, 1999, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Ottawa drafted him fourth overall in 2018, and he spent eight seasons with the Senators, several as captain. Florida acquired him on June 21 in a trade that reunited him with Matthew, sending two 2026 first-round picks, a 2027 second-rounder and a conditional 2029 first to Ottawa. He won Olympic gold with Team USA in 2026.
Tkachuk has 223 goals, 259 assists and 482 points in 589 career games, and 10 goals and nine assists in 17 games in his first season away from Ottawa.
Boston Bruins Lead Florida Panthers 2-0 After Nikita Zadorov Fight
Both fighters served their majors. Florida’s Gustav Forsling then took a two-minute minor for delay of game at 0:31, after the puck went over the glass.
Boston scored twice at even strength. Elias Lindholm beat the goaltender with a wrist shot at 4:50, with assists from Casey Mittelstadt and Charlie McAvoy. Michael Eyssimont made it 2-0 at 6:11, with Fraser Minten assisting.
The gloves came off again 21 seconds later. Florida’s Garnet Hathaway and Boston’s Mark Kastelic fought at 6:32, and each drew a five-minute major. At 7:02, Boston’s Marat Khusnutdinov went to the box for holding Matthew Tkachuk.
Six penalties in all left each team with 12 penalty minutes, according to the NHL. The full ledger: fighting majors for Zadorov, Tkachuk, Hathaway and Kastelic, a delay-of-game minor for Forsling and a holding minor for Khusnutdinov. Two fights, one first meeting of the season and a two-goal Boston lead, all in the first seven minutes.
WATCH VIDEO: Bruins’ Nikita Zadorov Fights Brady Tkachuk on Opening Faceoff