Lightning retaliate to Victor Hedman injury with ugly boarding penalty

One offensive hit against one of Tampa Bay's best players was enough to turn Thursday's game between the Dallas Stars and Lightning into a heated battle. But Nikita Nesterov might have crossed the line.

The Stars were nursing a 3-1 lead late in the second period when Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman tried to work the puck along the side boards in his own zone. He managed to get the puck away just a second before Stars captain Jamie Benn barreled into him with a violent hit.

There's no question the hit was rough on Hedman, who struggled to get off the ice before slowly skating to the Lightning's dressing room. It's too early to say if he has a concussion, but he was certainly a little dazed after his head hit the glass that hard. That said, Benn's hit was legal.

What Nesterov did in retaliation was not. The Lightning defenseman responded minutes later with this hit on Stars forward Curtis McKenzie.