The Hudson River Rivalry is scorching and heavy.
There has all the time been dangerous blood between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, however this yr, it’s boiling.
A 5-on-5 line brawl kicked off the start of Wednesday’s sport, and eight gamers have been ejected. The fights have been anticipated, as Rangers rookie enforcer Matt Rempe and Devils’ Kurtis MacDermid have been each within the beginning lineup. The two fought each other of their final matchup.
Kurtis MacDermid #23 of the New Jersey Devils fights with Matt Rempe #73 of the New York Rangers through the first interval at Madison Square Garden on April 03, 2024 in New York City. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Rempe has been identified for his fights since his literal first second within the NHL. He made his debut on the Stadium Series in February, and his first shift started with a struggle. In every of his first two video games in opposition to the Devils, he was ejected resulting from blows to the top — the primary one being simply 10 seconds into his first shift of the rivalry and the second leading to a suspension.
Gloves got here off instantly because the puck dropped, with Barclay Goodrow taking the face off at middle ice after which skating over to seek out his opponent.
Rempe didn’t even fake to be prepared for the face off, standing upright able to go toe to toe with MacDermid.
That heavyweight battle lived as much as the hype — it was the longest of the 5 bouts, lasting effectively over a minute at middle ice.
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K’Andre Miller #79 of the New York Rangers fights with John Marino #6 of the New Jersey Devils through the first interval at Madison Square Garden on April 03, 2024 in New York City. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The solely folks from the road brawl that didn’t get a sport misconduct have been Curtis Lazar of the Devils and Blueshirts’ Jimmy Vesey.
Less than 5 minutes later, there was one other struggle, with Dawson Mercer going up in opposition to Will Cuylie.
The groups had a line brawl again in 2012. The two met within the Eastern Conference Final that yr, with the Devils successful in six video games.
Matt Rempe #73 of the New York Rangers leaves the ice following a primary interval struggle in opposition to Kurtis MacDermid #23 of the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden on April 03, 2024 in New York City. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
New York, who has probably the most factors within the league this yr, is 3-0 in opposition to the Devils, who’re desperately preventing for a playoff spot after their shock run final yr. The Rangers received the primary snort, getting out to an early 1-0 lead with an Artemi Panarin objective.
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