The rivalry between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils erupted into a rare goalie fight Tuesday night.
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin and Devils netminder Jacob Markstrom exchanged punches in the third period at Madison Square Garden.
Shesterkin emerged victorious in the scrum, landing more blows than his opponent.
Shesterkin joked after the game, "I'd like to thank my boxing coach."
Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan was surprised by the display of grit.
"It was a great fight. I didn't know Shesty had that in him," Sullivan said.
Devils goaltender Markstrom said he felt compelled to join the fray due to his team’s struggles.
"I felt like I needed to do something," he said.
J.T. Miller praised the rare moment of old-school toughness.
"It's just so rare, unexpected," Miller said. "That was just old-school... I think it was great for our team to see that."
The Rangers improved to 31-35-9, while the Devils fell to 38-34-2. Both teams are near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division this season.