Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds made sure to slow down before he passed the Rangers’ rookie defenseman Dylan McIlrath at center ice as they warmed up for Sunday’s game at Madison Square Garden. The two tough guys talked briefly, then went their separate ways.
The Rangers went on to win, 3-1, but the tone had been set with that conversation. When Simmonds stepped on the ice for his first shift 26 seconds into the game, McIlrath went out, too. Seconds after a face-off, the two dropped their gloves and cocked fists.
The fight was spirited, ending with both players helmetless, and it was a draw, although McIlrath opened a cut near Simmonds’s left eye.