Matt Rempe has gained recognition for his tendency to engage in fights early and frequently during Rangers games, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by the league.

Before Sunday’s game, Rempe and Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier exchanged words, albeit in a rather friendly manner, before quickly transitioning into a fight between the two aggressive players.

While stretching near the red line, the two conversed about Rempe’s recent altercation with Flyers forward Nicolas Deslauriers.

“In all honesty, I just said to him, ‘Great fight yesterday, and I hope you’re feeling alright because that looked tough,'” Olivier shared with the Columbus Dispatch. “He responded, ‘Yeah, I’m good,’ so on the first shift, he approached me. There’s a lot of mutual respect there for doing that. Kudos to him. He’s definitely making a name for himself, so that takes, well, for lack of a better term, that takes some courage.”

However, this time, the 6-foot-8, 240-pound Rempe might have taken on more than he can handle.

Olivier decisively emerged victorious in the fight, causing Rempe to fall to the ice. Olivier landed 13 punches compared to Rempe’s six, resulting in Rempe being sent to the locker room for concussion protocols. He later returned in the first period.

The fight seemed to set the tone for the entirety of the game.

Despite the Rangers’ pursuit of a franchise-record 11th consecutive win, they faced challenges against the Blue Jackets, who possess the Eastern Conference’s lowest point total at 48.

Although the Rangers managed to tie the game on two occasions, the Blue Jackets ultimately took the lead for good. They scored just 46 seconds after the Rangers leveled the score at 2-2 and added another goal in the final two minutes of the second period.