If there is one player who will, without hesitation, come to the defense of New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier, it is his fellow countryman Jonas Siegenthaler.
Tuesday night was a prime example.
Siegenthaler had a first-row seat of Matthew Tkachuk’s massive hit on Hischier at the 4:32 mark of the third period. The Devils defenseman beelined to the Panthers’ forward, toppling to the ice with him.
Hischier got back to his skates, threw off his gloves, and immediately joined Siegenthaler, grabbing the collar of Tkachuk’s jersey.
Eventually, every player on the ice was paired up.
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Dawson Mercer kept Sam Reinhart from going after Hischier. Johnathan Kovacevic found himself with Aleksander Barkov, and Nate Schmidt got acquainted with Timo Meier.
As Hischier pulled Tkachuk, who was still on his knees, from the scrum, Siegenthaler and Gustav Forsling exchanged some shoves.
Eventually, the referees got control of things as the in-arena DJ blasted the Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right.”
Hischier skated over to the penalty box as Devils fans stood on their feet applauding the 26-year-old captain.
“I didn’t see him coming,” Hischier said after the game. “I don’t think I even touched the puck. That’s part of it. He made the hit, and I got a little emotional there.”
To some surprise, the Swiss center was told to leave the penalty box, and the referee announced the following penalties: Matthew Tkachuk roughing against Jonas Siegenthaler, Matthew Tkachuk interference against Nico Hischier, and Jonas Siegenthaler roughing against Matthew Tkachuk.
The history between Tkachuk and Hischier has been well documented, dating back to Dec. 2022, when Hischier unintentionally injured Barkov in the face-off circle.
Over the past few seasons, fans have seen an evolution from when Panthers players targeted Hischier with no real repercussions to present day when every player on the ice becomes involved.
After Hischier and Tkachuck separated themselves from the scrum along the boards, Kovacevic was still trying to get at the Panther’s alternate captain, with Barkov attempting to keep him at bay.
It was evidence of team growth as well as growth from the captain himself.
“I want to stick up for myself,” he said. “I didn’t like the hit. I got a little emotional there. That’s hockey.”
That willingness of players to stick up for teammates is a sign of a tight-knit locker room, something that Paul Cotter says they have in New Jersey.
“This team is just great together, off the ice, everyone is pushing each other, little inside jokes, stuff like that, we have a tight-knit group,” he said to NJD.TV. “I am sure every team is tight but I think ours is a little bit of a different level. The Prague trip helped, getting everybody close right away, and when you have a team like that, wins, losses, it doesn’t matter. We’re tight.”
The Devils may have lost Tuesday’s game 2-1 in a shootout, but it was an encouraging sign to see the team continue to support each other, something they have really committed to since the start of the 2024-25 season.
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