New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin was forced out of Monday's matchup with the Washington Capitals after sustaining a lower-body injury in a second-period melee with Tom Wilson.
The incident started when Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich got tangled up in front of the Washington net and fell to the ice after referees blew the whistle. Wilson, who fell to his knees next to Buchnevich, appeared to deliver a punch to the Rangers forward's upper back while he lay face down on the ice, which caused tempers to flare.
As a brawl broke out between the two teams, Panarin skated in to pull Wilson away. As the two got free from a crowd of bodies, Wilson hurled Panarin -- whose helmet had come off -- to the ice and delivered a pair of punches while the Russian superstar lay on his back. Wilson threw Panarin down once again as he tried to stand up before officials came in to break things up.
Panarin did not play another shift in the second frame and was not on New York's bench to begin the third period.