The Capitals defenseman went toe-to-toe with Rempe on one of his first shifts of the game.
WASHINGTON — Dylan McIlrath said earlier in the day that he wouldn't change his mindset or game when it came to Matt Rempe for Tuesday's contest between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers. Still, they dropped the gloves almost right away.
McIlrath and Rempe got involved physically behind the play in the opening minutes of the first period and then dropped the gloves for quite the heavyweight bout.
The fight lasted a good amount of time as McIlrath punched off Rempe's helmet, drawing blood as his visor cut his face. Then, to close it out, McIlrath took down the young Rangers enforcer to get Capital One Arena going.
It wasn't the first time that these two went at it in their careers, as both fought each other back in 2022 at the NHL level.