Flyers-Devils Game Features Four Fights

Last night, the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils put on a four-fight display, a rarity in the NHL these days. Jaromir Jagr also scored three goals, making him the oldest player in NHL history to record a hat trick (42 years, 322 days old). All told, this game could have easily taken place in 1997, when four-fight games and Jagr hat tricks were not uncommon.

The game had a purposeful feel to it from the start, with the Devils having ramped up their display of team toughness following the sacking of bench boss Peter DeBoer last week. Jordin Tootoo, having already been credited by his teammates with sparking the Devils to a win over the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this week, once again sought to light the fuse early by squaring off with Zac Rinaldo in a short, spirited scrap. Seconds later — long after an icing whistle — Michael Raffl leveled Tim Sestito on his way to the bench, sparking another fight. It was Raffl's first career fight, and he fared pretty well.