DETROIT -- Jack Hughes had already taken a a big (clean) check from Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi in the second period.

After Robby Fabbri hit Hughes in the corner during the third period, the Devils rookie looped back moments later, looking for some payback.

As Hughes went in for a check as Fabbri skated with the puck, the two players went knee-to-knee, with Fabbri getting injured on the play before skating off the ice to the locker room. Hughes received a tripping penalty.

“I just hit him. Nothing really other than that," Hughes said. "I think he thought it was a dirty hit. I don’t think he returned, right? So that’s the way it goes.”

The Red Wings were clearly upset with the hit, both in the moment and after the Devils’ 4-1 victory at Little Caesars Arena, with some Detroit players calling Hughes’ hit dirty following the game.

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Tensions continued to percolate between Hughes and the Red Wings for the remainder of the game, including some jawing between the two benches following a later shift. Things then completely boiled over in the final minute.

Bertuzzi delivered another hit on Hughes into the boards in the corner. John Hayden, who typically skates on the fourth line, was on the ice with Hughes and Nico Hischier, just in case something happened. Hayden skated over and immediately delivered a high cross check near Bertuzzi’s head, resulting in a mini brawl between everyone on the ice.

Hayden was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct, while Bertuzzi and Devils defenseman P.K. Subban both got 10-minute misconducts. He was also fined $2016.13 — the maximum amount allowed under the CBA — for the play, but he won’t face a suspension.

Tuesday was the first time Hughes really got involved in that physical aspect of the game in the NHL. Joey Anderson had to hold Hughes back following his hit on Fabbri when things appeared to be escalating, and Hughes jumped right into the fray during the ruckus in the final minute.

“Tonight, I probably took a few more hits than I should," Hughes said. "I mean, when you take hit after hit, you kind of want to do something yourself.”

Devils interim coach Alain Nasreddine put Hayden on Hughes’ line for the remainder of the game following the hit on Fabbri. With so much time left, he didn’t want to just park Hughes on the bench to avoid more confrontation.

Hughes’ teammates were happy to see him stick up for himself.

“He didn’t like what happened to him. He thought he kind of got hit there a couple times where he shouldn’t have,” goalie Cory Schneider said. “He hasn’t really done that all year. He’s not the kind of kid who’s gonna run around slashing everybody or trying to get back at everybody who hits him. He takes hits and he keeps going. I think that’s the best thing to do but it was it was good to see a little bit of fire out of him and I know he’s had high expectations for himself all year, so to show some emotion, sort of get fed up with that, I think that’s not a bad thing.”

Schneider had his back to the sequence of events in the final minute before the brawl, so he didn’t directly see the hit on Hughes or Hayden’s cross check, but he said the check on Hughes probably wasn’t necessary, given the score and time of the game.

“You never want to condone a cross check to the face, unfortunately. Obviously I don’t think that was Hayden’s intention, he was just kind of trying to give him a shot and caught him in the wrong spot," Schneider said. "But I think the idea and the sentiment of stepping in and protecting Jack and just letting other teams know that you’re not going to be allowed to push him around and take liberties on him, because there a few times tonight where they took some shots at him.”

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