The match had barely started before ten New York Rangers and New Jersey players were ejected after a major brawl. Eight of them received match penalties.
Even the coaches of both teams – Rangers Peter Laviolette and New Jersey’s Travis Green – got into each other’s hoods and shouted from the respective booths.
In terms of play, it was an even story, where the guests in the middle period managed to turn around a 2-0 deficit after, among other things, Bratt’s double assists. However, the home team was able to equalize early in the last act and then managed to take home the victory after Chris Kreider nailed the final result with five minutes left in numerical superiority.
Another Swede to score in the night’s NHL action was Victor Hedman, who opened the scoring as his Tampa Bay beat Toronto on the road, 4-1. The home team – with William Nylander in the lead – thus missed another chance to secure a place in the playoffs.
Adrian Kempe also scored last night, his 24th of the season, as the LA Kings beat the Seattle Kraken 5-2. Kempe’s teammate Viktor Arvidsson contributed with two assists.