Matthew Tkachuk had himself an excitable night with the Florida Panthers on Friday night. Tkachuk spent a good portion of Florida’s 3-2 shootout win against the Penguins off of the ice, officials slapping him with a 2-minute unsportsmanlike penalty as well as a 10-minute misconduct in the second period.

NEWARK—New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier and Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk have history. And that history was revisited on Tuesday night amid the Devils’ 2-1 shootout loss to the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

On Tuesday, tensions boiled over once again in the NHL as the Florida Panthers took on the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center. Panthers’ star Matthew Tkachuk found himself locked into a chokehold by a Devils star after he landed a massive hit on Nico Hischier.

Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk and New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier don't appear to be best buds.

Tensions boiled over Tuesday night at Prudential Center as the Florida Panthers defeated the New Jersey Devils 2-1 in a shootout.

Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk found himself in the middle of a fracas — surprise! — during the third period of Tuesday’s game against the Devils.

Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in goals (27) and points (51), while Matthew Tkachuk is second in both points (40) and assists (26). Recently named the “Athlete of the Year” in his native Finland, captain Aleksander Barkov ranks third in points (38) and first in assists (27).

Winning the Stanley Cup hasn’t been a burden to the Panthers. They’re sitting near the top of the Eastern Conference near the mid-season and having the regular season they wanted.

This affiliate content is not influenced by our advertising relationships, but AP and Data Skrive might earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content.

A player on the market that has some term left and brings a reliable defensive game is Philadelphia Flyer Rasmus Ristolainen. Ristolainen is a big, imposing defenseman who thrives in physical play. He's not afraid to throw hits, clear the crease or engage in battles along the boards.

Backup goalie Spencer Knight made 34 saves to lead the host Florida Panthers to a 3-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night in Sunrise, Fla.

The Ducks, who had been goal-starved on this trek before scoring three in a shootout loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday, face Florida twice in a row in a home-and-home set that begins Saturday.