A heated NHL game occurred not long ago between the New York Rangers and the Ottawa Senators. Madison Square Garden, the home of the Rangers, hosted the game. The home team enjoys a commanding advantage over the rest of the league and is now in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 79 points. However, the Senators are falling behind in the race for the Stanley Cup. The tense play had begun when Senators winger Austin Watson collided with Rangers forward Tyler Motte.

Jens95, a YouTube user, uploaded the video of the incident between the two forwards. The footage shows just how the Rangers forward collided with the Senators winger as they both tried to get their hands on the puck. Unfortunately for Austin Watson, the game official responded quickly, and the collision ended badly.

What exactly caused the clash?

Having just traded away Tyler Motte, a member of their squad, the Ottawa Senators were in New York to take on the Rangers. The hockey world was rather rocked by the event, given the two players involved had been teammates not too long before.

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The Rangers had a one-goal advantage with seven minutes left in the first half. Braden Schneider, a Ranger, was holding the puck while Derick Brassard, a player with the Ottawa Senators, pursued him. The pursuit, though, was set off when Schneider fumbled the puck along the boards and Tyler Motte was poised to steal it. Motte, the Rangers’ forward, had no idea that Austin Watson would rush at him, delivering two blows to the head from his shoulder and elbow, putting him out cold. The umpires reacted quickly, sending Watson to the penalty box for five minutes for charging on the play and giving the Rangers a lengthy power play.

How did the NHL match go after this?

When the two athletes were off the ice. Despite falling behind early, the Senators staged a rousing comeback in the second period, with center Shane Pinto scoring the equalizer and then Derick Brassard giving the club a 1-2 lead. Also quickly responding was the Rangers’ end, as Jacob Trouba tied the game. Right wing Vladimir Tarasenko put the Rangers up for good to make the score 3-2 at the end of the second period.

When Derick Brassard scored again for the Senators in the 42nd minute of the third period, the visitors completely dominated the home team and began their comeback. Claude Giroux of the Senators scored less than two minutes later to put his club up by a goal against the Rangers. Tim Stützle, a center for the Senators, scored the game-winning goal with less than a minute remaining. A 3-5 victory against the Rangers keeps the Senators’ winning streak alive.

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What do you think of this incident? Was it intentional by the Senator’s winger? Let us know in the comment section.