Given the history of Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas, Devils forward Kyle Palmieri had a hard time passing off his first-period hit as an accident.
Gudas left his feet and hit Palmieri high at 12:47 of the first period in the Devils' 4-3 win on Thursday at the Prudential Center, sending the Devils forward to the ice in a heap.
Palmieri saw the hit on video in the locker room, and given the player who delivered the blow, he had a hard time calling it a coincidence.
"After certain events and a certain history, you lose the benefit of the doubt of saying it was an accident," Palmieri said.