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Devils’ Jonas Siegenthaler ejected against Blue Jackets

Originally posted on Daily Faceoff | By Tyler Kuehl | Last updated Dec 1, 2025 10:04 PM ET

A rare type of ejection has come after some fisticuffs.

During a game between the New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night, Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler was ejected for not having his fight strap fastened on his jersey.

The incident occurred during a chaotic second period in the Garden State. A few minutes into the frame, a couple of slashes between Devils forward Connor Brown and Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli escalated into a donnybrook, as Siegenthaler locked up with Fantilli.

The two exchanged punches before Fantilli took hold of Siegenthaler’s sweater, promptly pulling it over his head. With that, Siegenthaler was handed a game misconduct.

Adam Fantilli and Jonas Siegenthaler continue the extracurriculars in New Jersey pic.twitter.com/bDFQW1ie8b
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 2, 2025

It was Siegenthaler’s first fight of the season and fifth of his career. It marked the Swiss blueliner’s first bit of fisticuffs since the 2021-22 season. Fantilli was given a minor penalty for slashing and five minutes for the first fight of his NHL career. The former Michigan Wolverine got into a fight while a member of the United States Hockey League’s Chicago Steel in January 2022.

It was one of four fights in the middle stanza between the Metropolitan Division foes. In the opening minute of the second period, Fantilli slashed New Jersey goaltender Jake Allen, which resulted in a tussle between Columbus’ Dmitri Voronkov and the Devils’ Brenden Dillon. Voronkov was involved in two fights in the game.

The Blue Jackets went on to win the game, 5-3.

The penalty for removing a jersey during a fight was introduced for the 1994-95 season, known as the “Rob Ray Rule,” after the former Buffalo Sabres enforcer who seemed always to lose his sweater in altercations. It was not until the 1997-98 campaign that the NHL mandated fight straps be worn, giving players the opportunity to avoid risking a misconduct in a fight.

This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.

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