The Rangers-Hurricanes series got real fast.
After a goal and several big hits, 38-year-old Justin Williams dropped the gloves with Ryan Strome two minutes and forty-eight seconds into the game.
The former Capital won the fight.
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After landing several early haymakers, Williams sent Strome off the ice with a bloody nose. The ice cleaning crew, while wearing masks, brought out ice scrapers to scrape off the blood. This seems very weird in the pandemic.
It’s unclear why Williams dropped the gloves though it came shortly after a clean hit by Marc Staal on Canes forward Martin Necas.
Bit of a high hit by Marc Staal on Martin Necas. Getting heated real quick only 10 minutes into this game. Refs need to get under control quickly. pic.twitter.com/Ws4eL2rSEE
— NHL Player Safety Watch (@NHLSafetyWatch) August 1, 2020
The game started with a goal almost immediately as Jesper Fast lost sight of a pinching Jaccob Slavin on his defensive coverage. Slavin beat Henrik Lundqvist with a perfectly-placed shot just under the crossbar.
Fast also absorbed a brutal hit from Brady Skjei to start the game.
Fast and Strome would both leave during the first period.
The Rangers are still missing both Jesper Fast (hit by Skjei, went to room) and Ryan Strome (fight with Williams, bled, went to room).
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) August 1, 2020
Strome would return later in the first while Fast was announced out of the game.
UPDATE: F Jesper Fast is not expected to return.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) August 1, 2020
Screenshot courtesy of NBCSN
