The Bruins and Panthers wasted no time turning Sunday’s matchup into a brawl.
Just seconds into the game, Nikita Zadorov and Brady Tkachuk dropped the gloves, and the opening scrap instantly set the tone for a matchup that started with plenty of heat. Bruins assistant coach Steve Spott said the team expected exactly that kind of start.
“You got two teams that genuinely dislike each other,” Spott told Pellerin. “So, we know Nikita started the game for us.
He obviously set the tone for our group to start and we knew it was going to be a physical game. We just want to keep this 5-on-5 now.”
For Zadorov, the fight was just the latest example of how quickly he’s become one of the NHL’s most penalized players. Entering Sunday, he had piled up 47 penalty minutes in his first 16 games, the most in the league. Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals was right behind him, trailing by 2 minutes.
Zadorov had already made his presence felt in Boston’s Oct. 31 game against the Chicago Blackhawks, when he picked up 14 penalty minutes. That night included a four-minute double-minor for roughing, a 10-minute misconduct after punching Alex Vlasic, and the maximum allowable $5,000 fine under the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement.
That edge has followed him before his time in Boston, too. Zadorov led the NHL with 152 penalty minutes during the 2025-26 season.
Sunday’s confrontation also carried a familiar edge because of the history between Zadorov and Tkachuk. Their tension goes back to a Jan. 23, 2025 game at TD Garden, when Tkachuk was still captain of the Ottawa Senators.
A preview from Boston’s “Behind the B” series showed Zadorov trying to needle him during a stoppage in play, asking, “You want to get the crowd going?”
He also dragged Matthew Tkachuk into the exchange, telling him, “I didn’t know you were a bigger [expletive] than your brother. I thought more of you.”
That buildup eventually spilled over at the end of the game, when Zadorov and Tkachuk fought with five seconds left and each received game misconducts.
Nearly two years later, the two picked up right where they left off. Sunday’s fight added another chapter to a rivalry that clearly doesn’t need much time to flare up.
In Other News...
Bruins Suddenly Have A Mikey Eyssimont Decision To Make
Mikey Eyssimont is making it harder for the Bruins to keep treating him like a depth piece. After clearing waivers and landing back with Providence, he has kept producing at a level that stands out even in the AHL, and his latest performance came in a wild 5-4 comeback win over Hamilton in which the Bruins erased a 3-0 hole. Eyssimont had already been recognized as the AHL Player of the Month for October, and the return to the lineup only added to the sense that he is forcing the issue.
For Boston, the question is no longer just whether Eyssimont can help in Providence. It is whether his strong play down there changes the conversation about his place in the organization and what kind of value he might carry if the Bruins decide to explore the trade market. He has become one of those players whose next step matters because it could affect both the NHL roster picture and whatever options Boston has later on. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Suddenly Face A James Hagens Problem They Cant Ignore
The Bruins had to make an immediate roster move after James Hagens went on injured reserve following the injury he sustained against the Penguins. Boston is already dealing with the ripple effects of losing a forward who was hurt in a game that turned physical, and the team has not yet offered a clear update from its head coach on how long the absence might last.
Mikey Eyssimont was recalled from Providence to fill the opening, giving Boston another option as it tries to keep its forward group steady. For now, the bigger concern is Hagens and what the Bruins can expect next, especially with the injury coming on a cross-check and the team still waiting to learn more about his status. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Get A Timely Boost As Goaltending Picture Tightens
The Bruins head into a divisional matchup with Florida in a better spot than they were not long ago, at least when it comes to the crease. Jeremy Swayman is expected to start, and the organization has reason to feel a little more settled with Michael DiPietro giving Providence steady work behind him. For a team trying to keep its footing in a tight stretch of the schedule, having both the NHL starter and the next man up trending well matters.
Providence added to that sense of momentum with a comeback win of its own, a result that only deepens the clubs confidence in its depth chart. The Bruins are still sorting through the bigger picture, but the goaltending situation has tightened in a way that gives them more options, and for now that is the kind of development a team can use before a matchup with a division rival. [Read more 🡒]