NHL Fights 2023-24
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.
Andreas Englund (LAK), Liam O'Brien (ARI) and Nicolas Deslauriers (PHI) lead NHL players with 11 fights in the 2023-24 regular season, 1 more than Jonah Gadjovich (FLA).
Most fights, 2023-24
Andreas EnglundLAK11last Apr 4
Liam O'BrienARI11last Mar 28
Nicolas DeslauriersPHI11last Mar 19
Jonah GadjovichFLA10last Apr 9
Luke KuninSJS9last Apr 6
Ross JohnstonANA9last Mar 21
Minnesota Wild0.4335 in 82 GP
Nashville Predators0.4033 in 82 GP
Arizona Coyotes0.3831 in 82 GP
When fights happen
Of 311 regular-season fights in 2023-24, 114 came in period 1, 118 came in period 2, 79 came in period 3. 38 started in the first five minutes of a game, often a scheduled bout off the opening faceoff; 70 came with one team ahead by three or more goals and 85 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, 2023-24
| # | Player | Fights | Inst. | Opponents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andreas EnglundLAK | 11 | – | Luke Kunin, Jake Middleton, Trent Frederic, Simon Benoit +6 |
| 2 | Liam O'BrienARI | 11 | – | Luke Schenn, Mathieu Olivier, Ryan Reaves, Jonah Gadjovich +7 |
| 3 | Nicolas DeslauriersPHI | 11 | 1 | Ryan Reaves, Austin Watson, Matt Rempe, Simon Benoit +6 |
| 4 | Jonah GadjovichFLA | 10 | – | Zack MacEwen, Cole Smith, Erik Cernak, Austin Watson +6 |
| 5 | Luke KuninSJS | 9 | – | Justin Faulk, Andreas Englund, Ty Dellandrea, Andreas Athanasiou +5 |
| 6 | Ross JohnstonANA | 9 | – | Jarred Tinordi, Mathieu Olivier, Arber Xhekaj, Joel Edmundson +5 |
| 7 |  Sam CarrickEDM | 9 | – | Michael Pezzetta, Mathieu Olivier, Jeremy Lauzon, Johnathan Kovacevic +5 |
| 8 |  Mathieu OlivierCBJ | 8 | – | Luke Schenn, Liam O'Brien, Josh Manson, Sam Carrick +4 |
| 9 |  Michael McCarronNSH | 8 | – | Logan Stanley, Marcus Foligno, Mark Kastelic, Jake Middleton +4 |
| 10 |  Jeremy LauzonNSH | 8 | – | Jake Middleton, Sam Carrick, Nick Foligno, Nicolas Deslauriers +4 |
| 11 |  Michael PezzettaMTL | 7 | – | Ryan Reaves, Sam Carrick, Zack MacEwen, William Lockwood +3 |
| 12 |  Ryan ReavesTOR | 7 | – | Michael Pezzetta, Tanner Jeannot, Nicolas Deslauriers, Matt Rempe +3 |
| 13 |  Tanner JeannotTBL | 7 | – | Ryan Reaves, Trent Frederic, Dennis Gilbert, Joshua Brown +3 |
| 14 |  Trent FredericBOS | 7 | – | Tanner Jeannot, Andreas Englund, Josh Anderson, Liam O'Brien +2 |
| 15 |  Brenden DillonWPG | 7 | – | Darnell Nurse, Brady Tkachuk, Jake Middleton, Sam Reinhart +3 |
| 16 |  Mark KastelicOTT | 7 | – | Kurtis MacDermid, John Ludvig, Michael McCarron, Barclay Goodrow +3 |
| 17 |  Jake MiddletonMIN | 7 | – | Andreas Englund, Jeremy Lauzon, Logan Stanley, Michael McCarron +3 |
| 18 |  Marcus FolignoMIN | 7 | – | Michael McCarron, Jarred Tinordi, Jonah Gadjovich, Joshua Brown +3 |
| 19 |  Austin WatsonTBL | 7 | – | Nicolas Deslauriers, Jonah Gadjovich, Patrick Maroon, Cole Smith +3 |
| 20 |  Adam LowryWPG | 7 | – | Brayden Schenn, Michael Kesselring, Phillip Di Giuseppe, Jack McBain +3 |
Regular season. 252 players have fought.
More fighters, 2023-24
- Brandon Duhaime MIN7
- Michael Eyssimont TBL6
- Max Domi TOR6
- Jarred Tinordi CHI6
- Brady Tkachuk OTT6
- Patrick Maroon MIN6
- Luke Schenn NSH5
- Tom Wilson WSH5
- Kurtis MacDermid NJD5
- Matt Rempe NYR5
- Matt Martin NYI5
- Brandon Tanev SEA5
- Keegan Kolesar VGK5
- Joshua Brown ARI5
- Cole Smith NSH5
- Nikita Zadorov VAN5
- John Ludvig PIT5
- Arber Xhekaj MTL5
- Givani Smith SJS4
- Logan Stanley WPG4
- Zack MacEwen OTT4
- Barclay Goodrow NYR4
- Jack McBain ARI4
- Will Cuylle NYR4
- Tyler Tucker STL4
- Corey Perry EDM4
- Erik Gudbranson CBJ4
- Brayden Schenn STL4
- Josh Manson COL4
- Brendan Lemieux CAR4
- Vincent Desharnais EDM4
- Connor Clifton BUF4
- Radko Gudas ANA4
- Josh Anderson MTL4
- Reese Johnson CHI4
- Nick Seeler PHI4
- Simon Benoit TOR4
- Dakota Joshua VAN4
- Klim Kostin SJS3
- Jack Drury CAR3
192 more players fought one to a few times each.
Teams that fight the most, 2023-24
| Team | Fights | GP | Per game | Per 82 | Fighters | Most vs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Wild | 35 | 82 | 0.43 | 35.0 | 10 | NSH (6) |
| Nashville Predators | 33 | 82 | 0.40 | 33.0 | 9 | MIN (6) |
| Arizona Coyotes | 31 | 82 | 0.38 | 31.0 | 12 | CBJ (3) |
 Tampa Bay Lightning | 29 | 82 | 0.35 | 29.0 | 10 | ARI (3) |
 Anaheim Ducks | 28 | 82 | 0.34 | 28.0 | 9 | NSH (4) |
 Chicago Blackhawks | 26 | 82 | 0.32 | 26.0 | 10 | ANA (3) |
 Winnipeg Jets | 26 | 82 | 0.32 | 26.0 | 9 | MIN (4) |
 Toronto Maple Leafs | 25 | 82 | 0.30 | 25.0 | 10 | ANA (2) |
 Florida Panthers | 24 | 82 | 0.29 | 24.0 | 9 | ARI (3) |
 Montreal Canadiens | 24 | 82 | 0.29 | 24.0 | 9 | ANA (3) |
 Ottawa Senators | 24 | 82 | 0.29 | 24.0 | 9 | FLA (3) |
 New York Rangers | 23 | 82 | 0.28 | 23.0 | 10 | NJD (7) |
 Philadelphia Flyers | 23 | 82 | 0.28 | 23.0 | 8 | NYR (3) |
 Edmonton Oilers | 20 | 82 | 0.24 | 20.0 | 10 | WPG (3) |
 Boston Bruins | 19 | 82 | 0.23 | 19.0 | 8 | MIN (3) |
 New Jersey Devils | 19 | 82 | 0.23 | 19.0 | 11 | NYR (7) |
 San Jose Sharks | 19 | 82 | 0.23 | 19.0 | 6 | CHI (3) |
 Columbus Blue Jackets | 18 | 82 | 0.22 | 18.0 | 6 | ARI (3) |
 Vancouver Canucks | 18 | 82 | 0.22 | 18.0 | 8 | ARI (2) |
 Buffalo Sabres | 16 | 82 | 0.20 | 16.0 | 9 | WSH (3) |
 Calgary Flames | 15 | 82 | 0.18 | 15.0 | 11 | EDM (2) |
 Seattle Kraken | 15 | 82 | 0.18 | 15.0 | 8 | COL (2) |
 St. Louis Blues | 15 | 82 | 0.18 | 15.0 | 8 | CGY (2) |
 Los Angeles Kings | 13 | 82 | 0.16 | 13.0 | 2 | BOS (2) |
 New York Islanders | 13 | 82 | 0.16 | 13.0 | 7 | BUF (2) |
 Vegas Golden Knights | 13 | 82 | 0.16 | 13.0 | 6 | DAL (2) |
 Washington Capitals | 12 | 82 | 0.15 | 12.0 | 8 | BUF (3) |
 Detroit Red Wings | 11 | 82 | 0.13 | 11.0 | 8 | BUF (2) |
 Carolina Hurricanes | 9 | 82 | 0.11 | 9.0 | 4 | TBL (2) |
 Colorado Avalanche | 9 | 82 | 0.11 | 9.0 | 5 | ARI (2) |
 Pittsburgh Penguins | 9 | 82 | 0.11 | 9.0 | 4 | WSH (2) |
 Dallas Stars | 8 | 82 | 0.10 | 8.0 | 7 | VGK (2) |
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 2023-24
| Date | Fight | When | Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 8 | Matthew Tkachuk FLA vs David Pastrnak BOS | P3 12:42 · 1-6 · playoffs | BOS at FLA |
| Apr 26 | Andreas Englund LAK vs Evander Kane EDM | P3 5:19 · 4-1 · playoffs | EDM at LAK |
| Apr 26 | Miles Wood COL vs Adam Lowry WPG | P3 19:33 · 2-6 · playoffs | WPG at COL |
| Apr 22 | Kyle MacLean NYI vs Stefan Noesen CAR | P1 13:23 · 0-0 · playoffs | NYI at CAR |
| Apr 18 | Adam Klapka CGY vs Givani Smith SJS | P2 2:54 · 0-2 | SJS at CGY |
| Apr 14 | Jan Jenik ARI vs Dryden Hunt CGY | P1 10:27 · 2-2 | ARI at CGY |
| Apr 13 | Luke Schenn NSH vs Mathieu Olivier CBJ | P1 17:03 · 1-3 | CBJ at NSH |
| Apr 13 | Michael Eyssimont TBL vs Nic Dowd WSH | P2 11:01 · 2-2 | TBL at WSH |
| Apr 11 | Jean-Gabriel Pageau NYI vs Brendan Gallagher MTL | P2 10:15 · 1-1 | MTL at NYI |
| Apr 11 | Max Domi TOR vs Simon Nemec NJD | P2 11:53 · 3-4 | NJD at TOR |
| Apr 11 | Tom Wilson WSH vs Jordan Greenway BUF | P3 20:00 · 2-4 | WSH at BUF |
| Apr 11 | Max Pacioretty WSH vs Tage Thompson BUF | P3 20:00 · 2-4 | WSH at BUF |
| Apr 9 | Logan Stanley WPG vs Michael McCarron NSH | P3 1:28 · 3-1 | WPG at NSH |
| Apr 9 | Niko Mikkola FLA vs Ridly Greig OTT | P1 6:51 · 0-0 | OTT at FLA |
| Apr 9 | Zack MacEwen OTT vs Jonah Gadjovich FLA | P1 2:20 · 0-0 | OTT at FLA |
| Apr 7 | Dylan Cozens BUF vs Jeff Petry DET | P1 15:49 · 1-3 | BUF at DET |
| Apr 7 | Joseph Veleno DET vs Bowen Byram BUF | P1 9:31 · 0-3 | BUF at DET |
| Apr 6 | Bokondji Imama OTT vs Kurtis MacDermid NJD | P1 5:20 · 1-0 | NJD at OTT |
| Apr 6 | Michael Pezzetta MTL vs Ryan Reaves TOR | P2 7:25 · 3-0 | TOR at MTL |
| Apr 6 | Klim Kostin SJS vs Colton Parayko STL | P3 0:09 · 0-2 | STL at SJS |
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 2023-24 the league had 311 regular-season fights in 1312 games (0.24 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 2023-24?
Andreas Englund had the most fights in the 2023-24 regular season, 11; Liam O'Brien is next with 11.
Which NHL team fights the most in 2023-24?
MIN had 35 fights in 82 regular-season games (35.0 per 82 games), the most per game in the league in 2023-24.
How many fights are there per NHL game?
In 2023-24 there were 311 fights in 1312 regular-season games, or 0.24 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 311 regular-season fights in 2023-24, 37% came in the first period and 23% with one team ahead by three goals or more.