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Devils’ Coach Challenges Team After Hischier and Knies Fight

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | Last updated Dec 30, 2025 11:23 PM ET

Matthew Knies got a lot of attention for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night. Not only was he a big part of the team’s 4-0 win over the New Jersey Devils, but he coaxed Nico Hischier into an unexpected fight and then quickly took care of business, dropping the Devils’ captain.

Knies was the guy in Toronto, with fans and analysts touting his passion, heart, and toughness in that situation. He tried to talk Hischier into fighting, and it looked like he wasn’t going to oblige. Then suddenly, the gloves were off.

Hischier said of the scrap, “He’s asking me to go, and I don’t really want to back down, so I said yes. Obviously, tried to give the team a little spark there.” It didn’t work, at least not in the moment.

Sheldon Keefe Loved and Didn’t Love the Fight from a Devils’ Perspective

Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said:

“I mean, do I want our captain and one of our best players fighting when we’re down two-nothing in the third period? Absolutely not. But do we need some guys to step up to show some emotion and show some balls and play with some urgency and competitiveness and step out of character? Yeah, we need more of that.”

He added, “So to that end, I like it. I like that Nico did it, and hopefully it rubs off on the rest of the group in a positive way. I didn’t think that it did in that moment, but you want to talk about gut checks. There’s one — your captain’s out there taking on a big guy, stepping out of character.”

Keefe then called out the rest of his team to respond. He noted, “We’ll see what we have with our group. But we need more guys that are going to show a little bit more. If you’re not going to score, give us a little bit more competitively and physically and show that you’re working to find your way. There’s not enough of that. We’re just kind of going about our business.”

This article first appeared on NHL Trade Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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