For television viewers watching back in New England, Jonathan Aspirot began 2026 with a fight as it came shortly after midnight in the East.
For the defenseman and anyone watching the Bruins and Oilers play live at Rogers Place in Edmonton, which is two hours behind in Mountain Time, the scrap was among the final events of 2025.
Either way, Aspirot had his first NHL fight and his second NHL goal in Boston’s losing-streak-snapping win over the Oilers.
In the game’s final minutes, he and Max Jones, who failed to live up to expectations in a short stint in Boston, began cross-check shoving along the boards in the Bruins’ end.
They dropped the gloves and Aspirot wrestled Jones down quickly as the linesman jumped in with 1:34 left in the game.
Jones signed with Boston last year as the Bruins hoped a change of scenery would spark the former first-round pick’s potential, but he couldn’t gain a foothold in Boston. He spent most of the year in the AHL before being traded with Trent Frederic to Edmonton.
The 5-minute fighting infractions were part of 74 penalty minutes in the game’s final four minutes.