Penguins-Bruins Game Turns Ugly After Kastelic's Controversial Hit

The Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins are facing off this afternoon in what could be an extremely important game for both clubs.

The Bruins are looking to keep their playoff hopes alive while the Penguins are deciding what direction to take at the trade deadline.

Perhaps unsurprisingly then, the game started to get ugly early on when Bruins captain Brad Marchand got rocked.

Perhaps as retaliation, Bruins forward Mark Kastelic attempted a massive hit on Penguins defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph early in the match, but only hit the glass.

Still though, it was clear what his intention was, and it lead to a major scrum, with penalties being awarded to both teams.

Later in the period, Kastelic went after Joseph a second time. This time he got him good, sending him to the ice along the boards.

Unfortunately, the young Penguin seemed to be hurt on the play as he stayed down on the ice in discomfort before skating to the bench and walking straight down the tunnel towards the locker room.

Below is a video of the hit. Take a look for yourself.

Joseph has 3 assists in 46 games for the Penguins this season. He also has a staggering -22 rating on the Metro Division's worst team.

He has played in 193 career NHL regular-season games, collecting 8 goals and 40 points overall, split between the Penguins and St. Louis Blues.

The Bruins and Penguins are not exactly hated rivals, but it certainly seems like tension are high for both clubs right now, and the rest of this game could get out of hand.

Hopefully it does not come to that and hopefully more players do not exit the contest early with injuries.