Evgeni Malkin's display of aggression proved to be costly.

The Pittsburgh Penguins' star center decided to mix it up with Washington Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner near the end of the first period Wednesday, but in the process inadvertently knocked Matt Murray's mask off his head.

To add insult to injury, Malkin's stick then spun around and caught Murray right in the face.

Murray skated off to receive medical attention, with Marc-Andre Fleury relieving him for the time being. Moments later, and with Malkin in the box, T.J. Oshie scored to give the Capitals a 3-0 first-period lead.

Murray was able to return to the bench for the second period to serve as Fleury's backup.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.