NEW YORK — The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils engaged in a full-on five-on-five brawl two seconds into their game Wednesday night, kicking off a wild scene during in which eight players – four from each team – were sent off before most matches. the supporters were seated in their seats.
Overnight Rangers sensation Matt Rempe was probably going to struggle tonight. He elbowed Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in the jaw the last time these two teams met on March 11, earning him an ejection and a four-game suspension; that was in addition to a hit he threw against Nathan Bastian on Feb. 22 in Newark that the Devils, particularly forward Kurtis MacDermid, felt Rempe needed to answer for.
So with Rempe and MacDermid in the lineup tonight, Devils coach Travis Green and Rangers coach Peter Laviolette had both players in the starting lineup. Fireworks were to go off during the opening puck drop.
What we didn’t expect: The other eight Devils and Rangers on the ice also dropped their gloves to fight. Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey faced Devils forward Curtis Lazar; Rangers center Barclay Goodrow fought with Devils defenseman Kevin Bahl; Rangers captain Jacob Trouba and Devils center Chris Tierney struggled for a few moments and Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller and Devils defenseman John Marino also had a fight. Fans didn’t know where to look.
NHL Rule 46.7 states: “A game misconduct penalty will be assessed against any player who is assessed a major penalty for fighting after the start of the initial altercation. »
The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils started the game with an all-out brawl 😳
🎥 @BR_OpenIcepic.twitter.com/1aBty7yuMx
– The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 3, 2024
Free daily sports updates straight to your inbox. Register
Free daily sports updates straight to your inbox. Register
Buy
Officials determined that the Vesey-Lazar fight started first, so anyone involved in a subsequent fight was removed. That means four players from each team were eliminated after two seconds of play, including Rempe, who gave the Madison Square Garden crowd a few “let’s go” hand gestures as he left the ice with the bloody mouth.
There were also some discussions between Green and Laviolette. Green clearly didn’t like the rest of the Rangers fighting aside from Rempe, and Laviolette didn’t appreciate the comments.
“I think it’s probably just a matter of emotions more than anything,” Laviolette said after the game about his exchange with Green. “There is obviously a little bit between the two teams. What do you mean it’s vague?
Green said he had “no idea why Peter was angry.”
“For starters, their players were more or less lining up fights before the faceoff,” he said. “And none of this would have happened…if something had happened in the previous game.”
“I don’t know why Peter would have been upset. You’re going to start screaming, you’re going to get it back. None of this would have happened if there had been a single fight in the previous match.
The fight and ejections that followed made the benches spacious for both teams. The Rangers (51-21-4) won 4-3 and are aiming for the President’s Trophy awarded to the league’s best regular season team.
The Devils (36-36-4) are on the verge of elimination from the playoffs, so fighting was the main storyline Wednesday.
“The fans got what they wanted,” Devils defenseman Brendan Smith said. “Good atmosphere, good match. … It makes the blood boil, the fans enjoy it.
“I think everyone gets what they pay for. And it’s an expensive building.
Required reading
(Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)