Best Oilers Fights of 2024-25: Darnell Nurse and Jonah Gadjovich throw bombs in the Stanley Cup Final

Originally posted on Oilersnation | By Ryley Delaney | Last updated Jul 17, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Sometimes, a team is losing so badly that somebody needs to get into a fight.

That was the case for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers. Down 5-1 with half of the third period to go, the rough stuff started, as Trent Frederic cross-checked Sam Bennett until his stick broke.

Bennett, who feigned injury until the linesman wrapped Frederic up and took him down, landed a few punches on the Oiler. However, the main event happened shortly after and away from the initial scrum.

Darnell Nurse immediately jumped into the fray and eventually found a dance partner in Jonah Gajovich. The two held on to each other for about 20 seconds before the fight finally began. They gained separation from one another, and Nurse attempted two upper cuts, hitting the body with one and just missing with the other. The Oilers’ defenceman then attempted an overhand right, but missed.

A few seconds later, Gadjovich landed an overhand right of his own, and then an uppercut. Nurse and Gadjovich traded uppercuts before the Panther landed another overhand right. The biggest punch of the fight came from Gajovich, as he connected with an overhand right. The rest of the fight didn’t see much action, with the punches doing minimal damage or missing completely.

At the end of it, Nurse was bleeding, which might be why 79% of HockeyFights.com voters gave the fight to Gadjovich. The referees handed out majors like Halloween candy, with Nurse, Frederic, and Mattias Ekholm receiving 10-minute misconducts for the Oilers, and Gadjovich, Bennett, and A.J. Greer receiving misconducts from the Panthers.

The already penalty-filled game received even more penalties as the game continued, as Evander Kane got a slashing penalty and a 10-minute misconduct. Less than a minute later, Jake Walman received two penalties as John Klingberg held Matthew Tkachuk, and Walman tee’d off on him. Then Kasperi Kapanen got a game misconduct for cross-checking Eetu Luostarinen, not very nice to do to your fellow Finn.

In this game, the Oilers played the Panthers’ game, and it cost them in Game 3. That said, they proved that they still had some fight left in them in the final half of the third period, because getting into a bunch of altercations in a blowout is better than quietly going into the night.

The Oilers earned a split in Game 4, as they overcame a 3-0 deficit after the first period and won it in overtime. Unfortunately, the Oilers lost the next two games, falling to the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final for the second consecutive year.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

This article first appeared on Oilersnation and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: