GIF: Rangers' Staal cross-checks Sidney Crosby in the head

Game 3 between the Penguins and Rangers got off to a physical start as the two teams looked to make an early statement in their quest to break the deadlock in the second round series.

And what better target to send a message than Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby?

Rangers defenceman Marc Staal found his target more than halfway through the first frame and delivered the dirtiest hit of the period.

[Courtesy: @myregularface]

This nasty cross-check to the back of Crosby's head came after the Madison Square Garden crowd became enraged by the referees no-call decision when Penguins center Brian Gibbons appeared to push Raphael Diaz and sent him sliding hard into the boards.