Rangers' Matt Rempe returns to lineup vs. Devils, is immediately among eight ejected in line brawl

Late in the third period of the Rangers’ loss Monday to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Garden, the fans started chanting, “We want Rempe!’’ referring to the Rangers’ rookie tough guy, Matt Rempe, who had been a healthy scratch for the third straight game.

The Devils, who were visiting the Garden Wednesday, wanted Rempe too, after he’d been ejected from both of his previous two games against them for illegal hits, including an elbow to the head of Jonas Siegenthaler in the last game, March 11, that gave the defenseman a concussion and kept him out of the lineup for nine games.

Rempe got a four-game suspension for that elbow, but the Devils wanted their own justice, and they got it, as a brawl broke out on the opening faceoff with all 10 skaters on the ice pairing off and fighting. Eight of them were tossed from the game just two seconds in.

Rempe fought with Devils enforcer Kurtis MacDermid, while Barclay Goodrow went with Kevin Bahl, Jimmy Vesey went with Curtis Lazar, K’Andre Miller with John Marino and Jacob Trouba with Chris Tierney. Vesey and Lazar, who were the first to fight, got five minutes for fighting. Everyone else got five for fighting, plus a game misconduct, because they engaged in fighting while another fight was already going on.

The ejections left each team with only 10 forwards and four defensemen to play the rest of the game. As he skated off the ice and headed to the locker room, Rempe waved to the crowd, which seemed to love it.

At the Rangers’ morning skate, when it was apparent Rempe would be returning to the lineup, coach Peter Laviolette was asked if he took into consideration Rempe’s history with the Devils when he decided to put him back in against them.

“I think Rempe's done a great job of coming in and providing physical presence to all the games that he's played, not just talking about the New Jersey Devils,’’ Laviolette said. “There was an incident that happened, where the league took action. We tried to talk to Matt, teach him about what he's, allowed to do, and can do on the ice. But in the same sense, he's been a really effective player for us in the way he plays the game.’’

Rempe, in the morning, said he’d heard the chanting Monday, and it had meant a lot to him.

“It's pretty incredible,’’ he said. “It's an honor. To have a (game) that New York loves, and (the fans) appreciate the way I play.

“And I'm not gonna let them down,’’ he promised. “Because it's a 21-year-old kid from Calgary and they're chanting my name here in the Garden. It's nuts.’’

The 6-8 ½, 245-pound rookie also promised not to change his game just because he was playing against the Devils. In the game where Siegenthaler was hurt, MacDermid had twice earlier in the game asked Rempe to fight, and been turned down. And after Rempe elbowed Siegenthaler, MacDermid tried to get at Rempe, but was prevented by the linesmen. Rempe waved at him before he was ejected, and after the game, MacDermid said he had “lost a lot of respect’’ for Rempe.

“After a hit like that, it goes without saying you should answer the bell in some way and be a man about it,’’ MacDermid said.

It was clear Rempe would answer the bell this time. Both teams started their fourth lines and it was a foregone conclusion Rempe and MacDermid would fight as soon as the puck was dropped. Goodrow took the faceoff and immediately went for Bahl, while Vesey and Lazar were already engaged. The other four skaters eventually found one another.

The 10 players combined for 130 minutes in penalties, and then Jack Roslovic got a boarding penalty against Luke Hughes, and Will Cuylle later got a boarding penalty against Brendan Smith, which led to a fight between Cuylle and Dawson Mercer. In all, the teams combined for 162 minutes in penalties in the period.

Goals by Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere, on a power play, gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead after the first period.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.