NHL Fights 2022-23
Every NHL fight of the season from the official play-by-play: the players and teams who fight most, the latest fights with links to each game, and how fighting has changed since 2017-18.
Nicolas Deslauriers (PHI) leads NHL players with 13 fights in the 2022-23 regular season, 1 more than Patrick Maroon (TBL) and Austin Watson (OTT).
Most fights, 2022-23
Nicolas DeslauriersPHI13last Apr 9
Patrick MaroonTBL12last Apr 11
Austin WatsonOTT12last Mar 30
Tanner JeannotTBL11last Mar 9
Corey PerryTBL9last Apr 11
Michael PezzettaMTL9last Apr 8
Ottawa Senators0.4537 in 82 GP
Tampa Bay Lightning0.4537 in 82 GP
Minnesota Wild0.4335 in 82 GP
When fights happen
Of 334 regular-season fights in 2022-23, 104 came in period 1, 148 came in period 2, 82 came in period 3. 31 started in the first five minutes of a game, often a scheduled bout off the opening faceoff; 76 came with one team ahead by three or more goals and 94 with the score tied.
Fights per game by season
| Season | Games | Fights | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | 151 | 44 | 0.29 |
| 2025-26 | 1,312 | 306 | 0.23 |
| 2024-25 | 1,312 | 297 | 0.23 |
| 2023-24 | 1,312 | 311 | 0.24 |
| 2022-23 | 1,312 | 334 | 0.25 |
| 2021-22 | 1,312 | 330 | 0.25 |
| 2020-21 | 868 | 197 | 0.23 |
| 2019-20 | 1,082 | 194 | 0.18 |
| 2018-19 | 1,271 | 226 | 0.18 |
| 2017-18 | 1,271 | 279 | 0.22 |
Regular-season games we have play-by-play for. The current season is partial.
Fight leaders, 2022-23
| # | Player | Fights | Inst. | Opponents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicolas DeslauriersPHI | 13 | – | A.J. Greer, Austin Watson, Jamie Oleksiak, Tanner Jeannot +9 |
| 2 | Patrick MaroonTBL | 12 | – | Luke Schenn, Ben Harpur, Garnet Hathaway, Sam Carrick +7 |
| 3 | Austin WatsonOTT | 12 | – | Nicolas Deslauriers, Kyle Burroughs, Michael Pezzetta, Tyler Tucker +8 |
| 4 | Tanner JeannotTBL | 11 | – | Brayden McNabb, Riley Stillman, Nicolas Deslauriers, Brendan Lemieux +6 |
| 5 | Corey PerryTBL | 9 | – | Michael Bunting, Ben Harpur, Vincent Trocheck, Connor Clifton +5 |
| 6 | Michael PezzettaMTL | 9 | – | Wayne Simmonds, Tom Wilson, Bowen Byram, Austin Watson +5 |
| 7 |  Mathieu OlivierCBJ | 9 | – | Nick Ritchie, Milan Lucic, Jonah Gadjovich, Sam Carrick +5 |
| 8 |  Arber XhekajMTL | 9 | – | Vincent Desharnais, Givani Smith, Adam Lowry, Tanner Jeannot +5 |
| 9 |  Jonah GadjovichSJS | 9 | – | Givani Smith, Marcus Pettersson, Mathieu Olivier, Sam Carrick +4 |
| 10 |  Kyle BurroughsVAN | 8 | – | Joshua Brown, Jake Neighbours, Austin Watson, Brandon Duhaime +4 |
| 11 |  Brady TkachukOTT | 8 | – | Marc Staal, Miles Wood, Jarred Tinordi, Evander Kane +4 |
| 12 |  Liam O'BrienARI | 8 | 1 | Will Borgen, Jamie Oleksiak, Marcus Foligno, Michael McCarron +3 |
| 13 |  Mark KastelicOTT | 8 | – | Givani Smith, unknown, Adam Lowry, Tanner Jeannot +4 |
| 14 |  Sam CarrickANA | 8 | – | Dylan McIlrath, Patrick Maroon, Mathieu Olivier, Brendan Smith +3 |
| 15 |  A.J. GreerBOS | 7 | 2 | Joel Edmundson, Nicolas Deslauriers, Sam Lafferty, Wayne Simmonds +3 |
| 16 |  Joshua BrownARI | 7 | – | Kyle Burroughs, Erik Gudbranson, Michael Eyssimont, Patrick Maroon +3 |
| 17 |  Ryan ReavesMIN | 7 | – | Adam Lowry, Bokondji Imama, Ross Johnston, Nicolas Deslauriers +3 |
| 18 |  Marcus FolignoMIN | 7 | – | Andreas Englund, Liam O'Brien, Zack MacEwen, Riley Stillman +2 |
| 19 |  Zack MacEwenLAK | 7 | – | Nicolas Hague, Marcus Foligno, Maxime Comtois, Joshua Brown +3 |
| 20 |  Trent FredericBOS | 7 | – | Lane Pederson, Dylan Cozens, Nikita Zadorov, Brendan Lemieux +3 |
Regular season. 275 players have fought.
More fighters, 2022-23
- Matt Martin NYI7
- Adam Lowry WPG6
- Luke Schenn TOR6
- Givani Smith FLA6
- Barclay Goodrow NYR6
- Mason Shaw MIN6
- Brendan Lemieux PHI6
- Cole Smith NSH6
- Keegan Kolesar VGK6
- Andreas Englund CHI5
- Jamie Oleksiak SEA5
- Connor Murphy CHI5
- Nathan Beaulieu ANA5
- Kurtis MacDermid COL5
- Dennis Gilbert CGY5
- Jacob Trouba NYR5
- J.T. Miller VAN4
- Jack McBain ARI4
- Connor Mackey ARI4
- Tom Wilson WSH4
- Matt Irwin WSH4
- Yanni Gourde SEA4
- Brenden Dillon WPG4
- Klim Kostin EDM4
- Jake Middleton MIN4
- Jeremy Lauzon NSH4
- Jarred Tinordi CHI4
- Riley Stillman BUF4
- Brandon Duhaime MIN4
- Nick Seeler PHI4
- Connor Clifton BOS4
- Dakota Joshua VAN4
- Maxime Comtois ANA4
- Rasmus Sandin WSH3
- Sheldon Dries VAN3
- Ryan Strome ANA3
- Wayne Simmonds TOR3
- Matthew Tkachuk FLA3
- Radko Gudas FLA3
- Sam Lafferty TOR3
215 more players fought one to a few times each.
Teams that fight the most, 2022-23
| Team | Fights | GP | Per game | Per 82 | Fighters | Most vs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Senators | 37 | 82 | 0.45 | 37.0 | 10 | FLA (4) |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 37 | 82 | 0.45 | 37.0 | 14 | WSH (5) |
| Minnesota Wild | 35 | 82 | 0.43 | 35.0 | 10 | ARI (5) |
 Philadelphia Flyers | 35 | 82 | 0.43 | 35.0 | 11 | MIN (4) |
 Vancouver Canucks | 34 | 82 | 0.41 | 34.0 | 12 | SEA (6) |
 Arizona Coyotes | 30 | 82 | 0.37 | 30.0 | 11 | MIN (5) |
 Montreal Canadiens | 29 | 82 | 0.35 | 29.0 | 12 | FLA (4) |
 Nashville Predators | 29 | 82 | 0.35 | 29.0 | 10 | PHI (4) |
 Boston Bruins | 28 | 82 | 0.34 | 28.0 | 9 | CBJ (3) |
 New York Rangers | 26 | 82 | 0.32 | 26.0 | 11 | TBL (4) |
 Anaheim Ducks | 25 | 82 | 0.30 | 25.0 | 6 | SJS (4) |
 Washington Capitals | 24 | 82 | 0.29 | 24.0 | 12 | TBL (5) |
 Chicago Blackhawks | 23 | 82 | 0.28 | 23.0 | 11 | NYR (3) |
 Seattle Kraken | 23 | 82 | 0.28 | 23.0 | 10 | VAN (6) |
 Florida Panthers | 21 | 82 | 0.26 | 21.0 | 9 | MTL (4) |
 San Jose Sharks | 20 | 82 | 0.24 | 20.0 | 10 | ANA (4) |
 Winnipeg Jets | 20 | 82 | 0.24 | 20.0 | 12 | NSH (3) |
 Calgary Flames | 19 | 82 | 0.23 | 19.0 | 12 | NYR (3) |
 Colorado Avalanche | 17 | 82 | 0.21 | 17.0 | 8 | TBL (3) |
 New York Islanders | 17 | 82 | 0.21 | 17.0 | 7 | PHI (3) |
 Columbus Blue Jackets | 16 | 82 | 0.20 | 16.0 | 6 | BOS (3) |
 St. Louis Blues | 16 | 82 | 0.20 | 16.0 | 9 | OTT (2) |
 Edmonton Oilers | 14 | 82 | 0.17 | 14.0 | 9 | LAK (3) |
 New Jersey Devils | 14 | 82 | 0.17 | 14.0 | 7 | PHI (3) |
 Toronto Maple Leafs | 14 | 82 | 0.17 | 14.0 | 12 | BOS (3) |
 Vegas Golden Knights | 14 | 82 | 0.17 | 14.0 | 8 | NYR (2) |
 Dallas Stars | 13 | 82 | 0.16 | 13.0 | 8 | CHI (2) |
 Los Angeles Kings | 11 | 82 | 0.13 | 11.0 | 6 | EDM (3) |
 Buffalo Sabres | 7 | 82 | 0.09 | 7.0 | 6 | BOS (2) |
 Detroit Red Wings | 7 | 82 | 0.09 | 7.0 | 7 | ARI (1) |
 Pittsburgh Penguins | 7 | 82 | 0.09 | 7.0 | 6 | OTT (2) |
 Carolina Hurricanes | 5 | 82 | 0.06 | 5.0 | 4 | ARI (1) |
A fight counts once for each team in it. Early in a season a single rivalry game can top this table: per-team rates are noise until teams have played a few dozen games.
Last fights of 2022-23
| Date | Fight | When | Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 10 | Nicolas Hague VGK vs Darnell Nurse EDM | P3 19:10 · 1-4 · playoffs | VGK at EDM |
| May 7 | Stefan Noesen CAR vs Erik Haula NJD | P3 7:13 · 2-7 · playoffs | CAR at NJD |
| May 6 | Zach Whitecloud VGK vs Klim Kostin EDM | P3 19:36 · 5-1 · playoffs | EDM at VGK |
| May 6 | Brett Howden VGK vs Brett Kulak EDM | P2 17:42 · 5-0 · playoffs | EDM at VGK |
| Apr 27 | Kevin Bahl NJD vs Barclay Goodrow NYR | P2 12:04 · 0-2 · playoffs | NYR at NJD |
| Apr 23 | Derek Forbort BOS vs Brandon Montour FLA | P3 16:49 · 5-2 · playoffs | BOS at FLA |
| Apr 22 | Brenden Dillon WPG vs Keegan Kolesar VGK | P1 0:49 · 0-0 · playoffs | VGK at WPG |
| Apr 22 | Steven Stamkos TBL vs Auston Matthews TOR | P3 5:04 · 2-3 · playoffs | TOR at TBL |
| Apr 22 | Ryan O'Reilly TOR vs Nikita Kucherov TBL | P3 5:04 · 2-3 · playoffs | TOR at TBL |
| Apr 20 | Michael McLeod NJD vs Braden Schneider NYR | P3 13:20 · 5-1 · playoffs | NYR at NJD |
| Apr 20 | Corey Perry TBL vs Justin Holl TOR | P3 13:03 · 2-6 · playoffs | TBL at TOR |
| Apr 20 | Luke Schenn TOR vs Tanner Jeannot TBL | P3 8:43 · 1-6 · playoffs | TBL at TOR |
| Apr 20 | Mark Giordano TOR vs Zach Bogosian TBL | P1 3:02 · 0-1 · playoffs | TBL at TOR |
| Apr 13 | Joshua Brown ARI vs Kyle Burroughs VAN | P3 9:17 · 4-3 | VAN at ARI |
| Apr 13 | Curtis Lazar NJD vs Rasmus Sandin WSH | P2 14:20 · 1-4 | NJD at WSH |
| Apr 13 | Joel Edmundson MTL vs A.J. Greer BOS | P3 9:45 · 4-4 | BOS at MTL |
| Apr 11 | Ryan Reaves MIN vs Adam Lowry WPG | P3 19:34 · 3-1 | WPG at MIN |
| Apr 11 | Corey Perry TBL vs Michael Bunting TOR | P2 4:20 · 2-1 | TOR at TBL |
| Apr 11 | Patrick Maroon TBL vs Luke Schenn TOR | P1 18:50 · 2-1 | TOR at TBL |
| Apr 10 | Adrian Kempe LAK vs J.T. Miller VAN | P2 16:02 · 0-1 | VAN at LAK |
Score is away-home when the fight started.
How we count NHL fights
A fight is a fighting major in the NHL play-by-play. Both players usually get one at the same moment, so the pair counts as one fight and each fighter is credited once. When only one player gets the major, the opponent comes from the penalty's "drawn by" field. Instigator minors at the same moment are noted. Boards use the regular season; the recent list includes the playoffs.
Fight totals are small numbers. A team's fights per game move a lot on one rivalry night or one call-up, and a player's count depends on how many games his coach dresses him. In 2022-23 the league had 334 regular-season fights in 1312 games (0.25 a game); in 2017-18 it was 0.22 a game, in 2025-26 0.23.
For fantasy leagues that count penalty minutes, a fighting major is five PIM, so the leaders here are the players who swing a PIM category. Fights are not a betting edge here: we hold no prices for the occasional "fight in game" props some books post, and per-team rates this small are mostly noise from game to game.
Frequently asked questions
Who has the most fights in the NHL in 2022-23?
Nicolas Deslauriers had the most fights in the 2022-23 regular season, 13; Patrick Maroon is next with 12.
Which NHL team fights the most in 2022-23?
OTT had 37 fights in 82 regular-season games (37.0 per 82 games), the most per game in the league in 2022-23.
How many fights are there per NHL game?
In 2022-23 there were 334 fights in 1312 regular-season games, or 0.25 a game. That compares with 0.22 a game in 2017-18 and 0.23 in 2025-26.
When do NHL fights happen?
Of the 334 regular-season fights in 2022-23, 31% came in the first period and 23% with one team ahead by three goals or more.