How many fighters went undefeated during the 2023-24 NHL season? One wore red and black and played in Newark; who was he?
According to statistics from SportsHandle, New Jersey Devils defenseman Kurtis MacDermid tied Tom Wilson (Washington Capitals) and Nicolas Deslauriers (Philadelphia Flyers) as the only undefeated fighters in the NHL in 2023-24.
MacDermid was a perfect 5-0, the same as Wilson, while Deslauriers led all fighters with an 11-0 record. Interestingly, all three of the undefeated heavyweights play in the Metropolitan Division.
Unsurprisingly, the Flyers lived up to the legendary "Broadstreet Bullies" name by maintaining the league's best win percentage, defeating their opponents 96% of the time.
Despite a 42% success rate, New Jersey did not crack the top 16 but ranked as one of the worst fighting teams, finishing 24th overall.
Surprisingly, the Ottawa Senators finished last with a 21% win rate.
When anyone looks back at the Devils 2023-24 season, besides the losing record and drop in the standings, everyone will remember the epic line brawl with the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on April 3.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFPjzgz2qBE[/embed]
Of course, MacDermid drew the main event of the line brawl, going toe-to-toe with Rangers Matt Rempe, one of the league's newest heavyweights.
During their 82-game season, the Devils had 19 recorded fights, which ranked third among Metropolitan Division rivals, behind the Flyers (23) and Rangers (23).
Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets registered 18, followed by the New York Islanders (13), Capitals (12), Carolina Hurricanes, and Pittsburgh Penguins, each with nine.