Watch: Rangers' Barclay Goodrow and Senators' Mark Kastelic exchange blows in marquee Atlantic Division clash

The New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators were headlined by Barclay Goodrow and Mark Kastelic, respectively, in a game that was played at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

The matchup between the two teams offered fans more than the anticipated skilled plays and strategic moves. The intensity escalated during the first period when Goodrow and Kastelic found themselves in a heated altercation, throwing punches.

The physical confrontation between Goodrow and Kastelic unfolded on the ice, with both players dropping their gloves. The fists flew as the two athletes went toe-to-toe. The intensity of the altercation reached a climax when Kastelic, in the midst of the exchange, fell to the ice.

Following the exchange, both teams' players showed a gesture of sportsmanship by tapping their hockey sticks in acknowledgment of the battle that had just taken place.

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New York Rangers dominate Ottawa Senators in 7-2 victory

The New York dominated the Ottawa Senators, securing a 7-2 victory on Saturday night. Artemi Panarin led the charge with a goal and two assists, and the Rangers rallied with seven unanswered goals. First-year coach Peter Laviolette's win tied him with Al Arbour for seventh place in NHL history with 782 career victories.

Jonathan Quick, ending a five-game losing streak, made 29 saves for the Rangers. Laviolette praised the team's resilience in back-to-back games, stating,

"The efforts in the second games have been like they (were) tonight. They’ve been on point. Their work ethic has been really good, and we’ve been able to win in some tough situations."

Despite a solid start by the Senators with Brady Tkachuk and Jakob Chychrun scoring early goals, the game turned in the second period. Joonas Korpisalo was pulled after allowing four goals, and the Rangers capitalized with five goals in just over 11 minutes. Laviolette noted the significance of the win, acknowledging the challenges faced by his team:

"With playing last night, (facing) a rested team in their building, travel, short a few players, that’s a big win."

Ottawa interim coach Jacques Martin expressed frustration over his team's loss of composure and compete level, stating,

"....It seems like we lost our composure, we lost our compete level."

The Rangers, missing key defensemen, improved to 9-0-0 in the second half of back-to-back games and head into the All-Star break as leaders in the Metropolitan Division.