Brady Tkachuk vs. Jordan Staal fight: How Senators, Hurricanes captains opened NHL playoffs by dropping gloves originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Stanley Cup Playoff hockey is officially back.

Just ask Brady Tkachuk and Jordan Staal.Just three seconds into the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators' series-opening game on Saturday afternoon, the two captains were jawing at each other leading up to the opening faceoff.Three seconds later, play had already stopped for a captain vs. captain fight to set the tone for what looks due to be a physical series between the two squads.Here's a look at the scrap between Tkachuk and Staal and some reasoning behind the lightning-fast fight.SN's NHL HQ: Live NHL scores | Updated NHL standings | Full NHL scheduleBrady Tkachuk-Jordan Staal fightJust three seconds after the puck dropped in Raleigh, the Senators and Hurricanes' captains duked it out at center ice.Tkachuk and Staal were seen jawing at each other just before the opening faceoff, likely tempting each other to drop the gloves.One of the fastest fights in NHL playoffs history came in the first 2026 postseason matchup:A FIGHT TO START THE PLAYOFFS‼️Brady Tkachuk and Jordan Staal immediately dropped the gloves 😳 pic.twitter.com/LBokHjzq6B— ESPN (@espn) April 18, 2026While the Senators' captain was the one to land the first blow with a right hook, it was Carolina's Staal who would follow up with counterstrikes. He eventually dragged Tkachuk to the ice shortly before they both skated to the penalty box for a five-minute stay.The two captains were looking to set the tempo for the series, which already looked to be on the more physical side.

Ottawa finished the regular season with the third-most hits in the NHL, with 23.8 per game. The Senators are also top-10 in the league with 3.9 penalties per game (8th).MORE: NHL final standings heading into the 2026 Stanley Cup PlayoffsBrady Tkachuk 2025-26 fightsTkachuk's busy season with the gloves off continued with his playoff fight.Per HockeyFights.com, the Senators star had three fights in the regular season, including two in April alone. Saturday's skirmish with Staal was also Tkachuk's third fight of the season that came directly off an opening faceoff.Back on Mar. 19, Tkachuk fought the Islanders' Anders Lee right off the opening faceoff of New York vs.

Ottawa.On Apr. 2, Tkachuk took on Buffalo's Logan Stanley.And most recently, Tkachuk took the gloves off following the opening faceoff for a second time vs. Lee on Apr. 11.