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Matthew Tkachuk is no stranger to fighting on the main stage.
In the biggest hockey game this year, Tkachuk, as a member of Team USA in 4 Nations Face-off, the gloves against Team Canada fell right at the opening of Faceoff.
Late Monday night he was in yet another Brouhaha, this one involved almost everyone on the ice for his Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, both of whom have other players involved in these US-Canada matches.
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Florida Panthers tips Matthew Tkachuk, #19, puts a rat on the stick after the third period against Edmonton Oilers in match three of the 2025 Stanley Cup final in the AMERANT BANK Arena. (SAM NAVARRO-MAILED PICTURES)
When Game 3 in the Stanley Cup final got out of hand (Panthers Walloped Edmonton, 6-1, to take a 2-1 Series lead), things were Chippy and Panthers knew it was likely to get worse.
Tkachuk, who has been in similar situations before, then the writing on the wall and wanted his team prepared.
“We talked about it in the third. If you have to take a blow to your face, take a blow to your face. If you need to take a cross check, take a cross check. Spear, slash on the face, no matter what’s the case, you have to take it,” Tkachuk said after the competition.
At one point, Tkachuk took part of the blow to the face of Jake Walman – all while being held by John Klinberg.
The game was already 5-1 in favor of Florida as things became more aggressive on the ice. It reached another level when Edmonton Frem Trent Federic started choosing Sam Bennett (who fought for Tkachuk’s brother in the 4 nations game) to the point where he crossed him down to the ice, and Bennett retaliated with some strokes when he came uped with Federic.
A match breaks out in the third period between Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers in match three of the 2025 Stanley Cup final at the Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Preferred Pictures)
Panthers and Oilers participate in All-Out Brawl as Florida takes control of the Stanley Cup final in Game 3 victory
The initial match led each player on the ice to find a partner to duel, and the judges simply let the fight themselves. Oilers ‘Darnell nurse and Panthers’ Jonah Gadjovich grabbed each other’s jerseys and threw Haymakers, while Florida’s aj Greer dueled with Edmonton’s Mattias Ekholm.
After the matches Fizzled out, nurse, Godjovich, Bennett, Federic, Greer and Ekholm all called for game negotiations and sent the ice for the rest of the game.
But with almost half of the third period still playing, the tension between these two teams that fought for the Lord Stanley Cup did not stop. It came mainly from Oilers when Evander Kane was sent from the ice at night after cutting Carter Verhaeghe on his face while he was down on the ice.
A match breaks out in the third period between Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers in match three of the 2025 Stanley Cup final at the Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Preferred Pictures)
Several sanctions would be as the clock continued to cross down, and at that time both teams just hoped that no one would be hurt with much of this series left to play. Even at the last buzzer, Oilers Star Corey Perry began to puzzle with multiple Panthers players as fans started throwing garbage on the ice.
It really was a statement gain for the reigning champs that have all types of momentum on the way into Game 4 on Thursday night.
