Luke Hughes and Matthew Schaefer dropped the gloves tonight as the Devils and Islanders play on Long Island, and nobody saw that one coming.
Neither defenseman is known for throwing punches. Hughes has 8 penalty minutes this season and Schaefer has 10, so this was a real change of pace for both.
The game is still going as I write this. The Devils and Islanders are in the third period, so the score and the outcome are unknown, and I won't guess at either.
What I can tell you is who these two are. Hughes went fourth overall in 2021 and is 23. Schaefer went first overall in 2025 and is 19, already at 15 points in 15 games this season.
Schaefer has had a rough few weeks in other ways. We wrote about Schaefer taking a high stick from Matt Boldy in Minnesota that went uncalled, so this wasn't the first time he's been in the middle of something.
Hughes is having a strong start in his own right, with 6 goals and a +8 rating through 16 games. He doesn't look like a guy hunting a scrap.
That's what makes it stand out. Two skilled defensemen who play with the puck, not with their fists, decided tonight was the night.
What the fight means for Devils and Islanders
Both teams came in with something to prove. The Devils are 11-5-0 and have won 3 straight, while the Islanders are 7-6-2 and have lost 2 in a row.
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When a team on a slide gets a young star into a fight, it usually says something about the mood on the bench. Peter DeBoer's group needs a result more than Sheldon Keefe's does.
I like it from Schaefer's side. A 19-year-old who has been taking stick work all season and getting nothing for it isn't going to keep absorbing it.
The Devils are at Toronto on Sunday and the Islanders head to San Jose on Monday. Whatever happens in the final minutes, both teams carry this one into their next game.
Quick hits
NEW JERSEY DEVILS: Spittin' Chiclets was first to report the Hughes and Schaefer fight on Long Island. Fans will want to see how it played out.
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DALLAS STARS: Jamie Benn just scored his third goal of the season, and the Stars captain now sits one point shy of 1,000 career NHL points. A big milestone is close.
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UTAH MAMMOTH: Pro Hockey Rumors reports defenseman Nate Schmidt is out day-to-day, with the news breaking while Utah is still playing in Ottawa tonight.
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TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS: The Maple Leafs announced Morgan Rielly won't return to tonight's game against the Canadiens because of a lower-body injury. Not what Toronto needed.
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MINNESOTA WILD: Michael Russo says Marcus Foligno was lucky the refs didn't call it a fight in the Wild's game against the Lightning tonight. Marcus got away with one.
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Should Luke Hughes and Matthew Schaefer be praised for dropping the gloves?
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