Tempers were running high coming into’s Wednesday’s rematch between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers, and it didn’t take long to set them off.
In the first game since Monday’s heated matchup that led to polarizing power forward Tom Wilson being fined for his antics during a second-period scrum, the Rangers and Capitals engaged in a record six fights in the first five minutes, including a line brawl with three off the opening draw.
It’s the first NHL game, regular season or playoffs, to feature that many fights in that time frame, per Sportsnet Stats.
Rangers defenceman Brendan Smith also tracked down Wilson on his first shift to exact revenge on the Capitals enforcer for his actions Monday, when he punched Pavel Buchnevich in the back of the head while he was prone on the ice during the aforementioned fracas and later threw down a helmet-less Artemi Panarin.
In total, the two teams combined for 100 penalty minutes in the first period Wednesday.
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