The Rangers and Devils game at Madison Square Garden commenced with unprecedented intensity as players from both teams engaged in a line brawl immediately after the puck drop, resulting in 162 penalty minutes (PIMs) and the ejection of eight players, four from each team. This melee significantly reduced their rosters for the remainder of the match to 14 skaters apiece. Among those ejected were notable players such as Jimmy Vesey and Curtis Lazar, who were penalized but not ejected for their involvement in the initial altercation. The game, already highly anticipated due to the rivalry, saw additional fights break out, including one between Dawson Mercer and Will Cuylle. The chaos led to both teams being left with only 11 forwards and four defensemen, and the Rangers managed to take a 2-0 lead by the end of the first period amidst the mayhem.
WE'VE GOT A LINE BRAWL TO START THE RANGERS-DEVILS GAME https://t.co/zMS6eLDStZ https://t.co/BV5dQ64Iat
Rangers' Matt Rempe returns to lineup vs. Devils, is immediately among eight ejected in line brawl | @ColinSNewsday #NYR https://t.co/GEXcJ5FmKO
Well, that was... something. 2-0 #NYR after one. 162 PIMs, 14 skaters apiece
It wasn't just Matt Rempe & Curtis MacDermid, though that was the Main Event at MSG. #NYR & #NJDevils line brawl kickstarts the festivities 2 seconds into the game tonight. Watch & Read ⤵️ https://t.co/SP6mxAZoMk
After the line brawl, both NJD & NYR are down two forwards & two defensemen for the rest of the game. 😅 (🎥: @ryannovo62) https://t.co/X8xjyRn8VR
After the line brawl, both NJD & NYR are down two forwards & two defensemen for the rest of the game. 😅 https://t.co/YbNDL474dQ
The Rangers and Devils are just gonna be fighting all night long @spittinchiclets https://t.co/dlja0kuRUx
The gloves are off TWO SECONDS into Devils-Rangers 😳 (via @SNstats) https://t.co/rLdNn8UNp1
EVERYONE DROPS THE GLOVES TO START THE GAME! 🥊 https://t.co/cbY5ReAon1
Old time hockey! Five simultaneous fights two seconds into the game. https://t.co/f7Hna5ARS6
Smith challenging Lindgren while Cuylle and Mercer are chuckin’ em. More to come in this shit show. #nyr #NJDevils
And the Devils are down to 13 skaters for the rest of the first period. Dawson Mercer gets 2 for instigating, 5 for fightning and a 10-min misconduct for going after Will Cuylle, who got 2 for boarding Brendan Smith and 5 for fighting Mercer.
Fight Night at the Garden. #Rangers #Devils
Now it's Mercer + Cuylle fighting.
Mercer and Cuylle with a spirited fight. It's going to be one of those games. #NJDevils #NYR
Now we've got Will Cuylle and Dawson Mercer going at it. Meanwhile, Ryan Lindgren is giving old friend Brendan Smith an earful.
And now Dawson Mercer is fighting Cuylle because Cuylle just sent Smith into the end boards really hard. #NJDevils
Dawson Mercer is fighting Will Cuylle now.
Another fight -- Cuylle with a big hit on Smith, Mercer and Cuylle drop the gloves
Now Cuylle and Dawson Mercer are fighting.
I knew Matt Rempe and Kurtis MacDermid would fight right off the face-off. I didn't see a line brawl coming, and I definitely didn't think the first two to fight would be Jimmy Vesey and Curtis Lazar. They're still in the game, albeit in the box now. The rest are gone.
Ejections to Rempe, Goodrow, Miller, Trouba + MacDermid, Tierney, Nahl, Marino. NJD + NYR both down two forwards & two defensemen for the next 59+ minutes. https://t.co/fESpsEKa8b
Vesey and the Devils' Curtis Lazar both get 5 for fighting. The eight guys that went to the dressing room all get 5 and a game. So both teams are down to 11 forwards and four defensemen for the rest of the game. Oh, and Jack Roslovic got a boarding penalty at :54.
LINE BRAWL AT THE GARDEN 🚨 https://t.co/GBZaZ6mCwR
LINE BRAWL AT PUCK DROP https://t.co/tw5GnEtqyw
No better way to start a game than a 5 on 5 BRAWL @spittinchiclets https://t.co/tw5GnEtqyw
Secondary fights after another one has started get automatic game misconducts. So the Jimmy Vesey-Curtis Lazar fight is technically the first one. Other 8 guys are out. #NYR lose Miller, Trouba, Rempe and Goodrow for the night. NJ loses MacDermid, Marino, Bahl and Tierney.
Here’s the #NJDevils and #NYR line brawl. https://t.co/An1G063Brr
Lazar + Vesey ruled as the first fight. Eight other players just got ejected for secondary altercation.
All 5 Rangers and Devils fight at opening faceoff Coaches cursing and yelling at each other on benches Hockey is the best
HOCKEY IS THE BEST SPORT! LINE BRAWL TO START THE GAME!! https://t.co/jUPu16OYEk
What a way to start a hockey game. 🥊 https://t.co/wrrYFqavkd
Just by chance I tuned to the Rangers / Devils game and it literally started with every player fighting on the drop or the puck. WHAT?
Everybody dropped the gloves as soon as the puck dropped. MacDermid started off with some heavy shots on Rempe, but the rookie hung in their tough and rallied. Meanwhile, K'Andre Miller pummeled John Marino. Way too much to keep track of going on there.
Mayhem at the Garden. Complete brawl at puck drop.
We've got a line brawl off the opening faceoff. 5 on 5 fights. Rempe-MacDermid is the last one going. #NYR clearly didn't want the kid to fight alone out there.
Rivalry night on the national stage. 📺: TNT 🎧: https://t.co/GDJDPJM7sA 📰: https://t.co/a2HwIq132e #NJDevils | @betwayusa https://t.co/Dl3glYcffD
coaches oblige. Rempe and MacDermid out for opening face-off as Devils and Rangers meet at MSG 🥊 https://t.co/podQ2EKF1Y