Nico Hischier dropped the gloves against Matthew Knies during Tuesday’s New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs game.
The uncharacteristic fight for Hischier took place in the third period, as the Devils were down 2-0.
The brawl between Knies and Hischier ultimately didn’t change the Devils' momentum, as they fell 4-0 to the Maple Leafs.
After the game, Hischier described the incident to NJD.tv.
"He’s asking me to go, and I don’t really want to back down, so I said yes,” Hischier said. “Obviously, tried to give the team a little spark there."
Hischier took Knies to the ice during the exchange.
Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe also commented.
“Do I want our captain and one of our best players fighting when we’re down in the third period? Absolutely not,” Keefe said to NJD.tv. “But do we need some guys to step up, show some emotion, show some balls, play with some urgency and competitiveness, and step out of character? Yeah, we need more of that."
Other players echoed Keefe's sentiments. Brendan Dillon offered his perspective on the fight to NJD.tv.
"It’s the reason why he’s our leader (...) he does that, against a much bigger guy, stands up for himself, stands up for our group (...) to let that next shift give (TOR) even more momentum is really the most frustrating thing out of that whole sequence.”
The Devils were still unable to score, and the Maple Leafs shut the team out.
While unlikely Hischier will make a habit out of dropping the gloves, it was a rare moment for the team to see their leader try to shift the game's momentum in search of a win.
Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.