Devils’ Siegenthaler receives game misconduct for not having jersey tied down

The New Jersey Devils will have to finish Monday’s contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets without defenceman Jonas Siegenthaler.

Siegenthaler received a game misconduct in the second period after fighting Adam Fantilli. As the two grappled, the Devils D-man’s jersey came off, as it wasn’t tied down, resulting in the misconduct penalty.

Rule 46.13 reads as follows:

“A player who engages in a fight and whose jersey is not properly ‘tied-down’ (jersey properly fastened to pants), and who loses his jersey (completely off his torso) in that altercation, shall receive a game misconduct penalty.”

There was some debate about whether Siegenthaler should have been assessed the misconduct, as he didn’t drop his gloves until the end of his fight with Fantilli.

Rule 46.13 also states that:

“A player who is involved in an altercation, when the opponent has been identified as an instigator, shall not be assessed a game misconduct penalty if his jersey should be removed by an opponent or an official in the discharge of his duties, regardless as to whether or not he was properly ‘tied-down.’”

But it seemed pretty evident that Siegenthaler entered the scrum with the intention of getting involved with Fantilli, so he was likely deemed a willing participant by officials.

Siegenthaler had played 6:06 before the fight, recording a minus-1 rating.

The 28-year-old entered Monday’s game with two assists in 25 games while averaging 19:55 of ice time.

The Siegenthaler-Fantilli bout came in the midst of a heated period between the two teams. Through the first 10 minutes of the second, there were 14 separate infractions — eight of them for fighting — called by officials.