Bokondji Imama and Bryce Montgomery deliver an instant classic with their latest fight

At the 17:28 mark of the first period, Florida Panthers forward Bokondji Imama and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Bryce Montgomery dropped their gloves at Lenovo Center.

The crowd roared as the two traded punches, with Imama appearing to get the better of the exchange. Both players were assessed five-minute majors for fighting.

Imama's willingness to answer the bell was no surprise. The physical winger, who signed a one-year, two-way deal with Florida this summer, has built a reputation across multiple organizations as one of the league's most reliable fighters, racking up a number of professional bouts in his career.

His arrival in Sunrise added an enforcer element the Panthers clearly wanted to test early in camp.

The fight set the tone for an eventful period. Not long after the gloves came off, Brady Tkachuk buried a shot from the left circle to put Florida ahead 1-0, assisted by Aleksander Barkov and Cole Reinhart.

Carolina answered quickly when Mike Reilly's shot was tipped home by prospect Bradley Nadeau, his second goal of the preseason, tying the game. Florida retook the lead just 18 seconds later on a two-on-one finished by Barkov.

Florida's veteran presence showed throughout, with the Panthers frequently putting pressure on Carolina goaltender Alexis Bussi and exposing the Hurricanes' younger lineup.

The two teams entered the night with recent history, having played a physical, fight-filled preseason series a year earlier.

With training camp battles still being sorted out, nights like this offer coaches a look at which players bring an edge. For Imama, the answer was clear before the game was even ten minutes old.

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