Last night in Columbus, Brady Tkachuk traded blows with Adam Fantilli, and the Panthers still skated off with a 4-1 win.

It was the latest chapter in a week that has followed Tkachuk everywhere. A fight in Boston, the return to Ottawa, and now another road night that ended with him in the box when the final horn was close.

Midway through the third period, with Florida up 2-1, Tkachuk and Fantilli got tangled after a puck battle in the corner. Aaron Portzline described it as the two trading blows, and each player got a roughing minor at 13:00.

The Tkachuks reuniting with Sam Bennett at the morning skate was the lineup story of the day. It turned into a bigger one by the third period.

Portzline's post captured the moment the gloves came off:

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Brian Hedger noted that Fantilli had been very noticeable on his previous two shifts alongside Dmitry Voronkov and Valeri Nichushkin. Columbus had a reason to be fired up.

The matching minors created a 4-on-4 for two minutes, and Bennett cashed in to make it 3-1. Columbus took the roughness, and Florida took the goal.

Then came the final minute. Portzline reported that Erik Gudbranson stepped up to Tkachuk after Tkachuk finished a hit on Fantilli, and both players were sent off with 10-minute game misconducts.

Gudbranson was drafted third overall by the Panthers in 2010, so the history there is not lost on anyone. He wasn't going to let a hit on his teammate slide in the last minute of a lost game.

What the Panthers take from a chaotic night

Tkachuk finished with 12 penalty minutes and no points, which is the cost of doing business with him. Florida got the part that matters, though, because the 4-on-4 gave the Panthers a goal, and Bennett finished with two.

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Tkachuk has 10 goals and 20 points in 19 games, and he is the engine of this team's edge. The Panthers needed that edge after dropping two straight, and they got a 4-1 win in a building where Columbus has been tough to beat at home. This group plays its best hockey when it is angry.

For the Blue Jackets, a 1-5-0 road record is a different problem. Last night was a loss at home to a team that bullied them in the third, and Gudbranson's reaction in the final minute shows they know it.

We have no word of any discipline from the league at this point. The Panthers are back home Thursday against Detroit, and Tkachuk is expected to be in the middle of it again.

This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.