Hischier never saw him coming. Tkachuk hit Hischier high and sent him onto his back. ESPN play-by-play announcer Bob Wischusen called it “a big, freight-train hit,” and analyst and former Devils defenseman PK Subban screamed, “Whoa!” on the call. Then all hell broke loose.

On Tuesday, tensions boiled over once again in the NHL as the Florida Panthers took on the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center. Panthers’ star Matthew Tkachuk found himself locked into a chokehold by a Devils star after he landed a massive hit on Nico Hischier.