The tension in Madison Square Garden was already fierce, but things reached a boiling point as soon as the final horn sounded. The Detroit Red Wings took down the New York Rangers 2-1 in a narrow victory. 

Detroit forward Mason Appleton, with the puck at his feet and the Rangers net empty, flicked it toward the cage even though time had just expired. It looked harmless, almost like a casual tap-in. To New York goaltender Jonathan Quick, it was anything but harmless.

Quick skated out to confront Appleton in the Rangers zone, visibly furious. The veteran goaltender felt disrespected and interpreted the empty-net attempt as unnecessary. That moment triggered a benches-clearing confrontation as players from both teams spilled onto the ice, pushing and shouting while several tried to separate bodies and calm things down.

The scrum unfolded in the Rangers end with Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin stepping in as one of the voices of reason, helping direct players toward their locker rooms and urging both sides to cool off. Quick, however, remained angry even as he was escorted from the ice.

NHL Insider “Loved” Jonathan Quick’s Bench-Charge in Red Wings-Rangers Brawl Jonathan Quick's fiery bench charge ignited a massive brawl, earning praise from an NHL insider who "loved" the unbridled passion displayed.

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Aside from the chaos at the end, the Red Wings earned a hard-fought win with star winger Lucas Raymond scoring the game-winning goal in the third period after Alex DeBrincat had opened the scoring earlier. 

Detroit goaltender Cam Talbot faced only 19 shots and stopped 18 of them thanks to strong defensive play in front of him. Quick was the busiest player on the ice, facing 42 shots and made 40 saves in an impressive performance that ultimately was not enough.

The Red Wings now return home to prepare for a matchup with the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday.

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