Connor Mackey pummels Samuel Helenius in the first period.

A rough start to the day for Los Angeles Kings forward Samuel Helenius on Saturday.

Helenius and the Kings faced off against the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon in one of the National Hockey League's early games on the schedule and unfortunately for Helenius it wouldn't be long before things turned ugly.

Just a little less than 8 minutes into the game, Helenius would find himself challenged by veteran Rangers defenseman Connor Mackey who initiated the challenge by giving Helenius a quick chop to leg with his stick. It is unclear what sparked the exchange, perhaps bad blood that stems from their time in the American Hockey League, and it may very well have just been a case of Mackey looking to make an impact in his very first game of the regular season.

Mackey did exactly that and unfortunately for Helenius much of that impact was received by his face in the form of several stiff punches from his opponent. Mackey was the clear winner in this exchange, although Helenius did land a few shots of his own, with the Rangers defenseman on the offense the entire time and landing both the majority of the shots as well as the heavier shots in this one.

You could tell Mackey was pleased with his performance as he threw his hands up in the air several times looking for acknowledgement from the fans in the crowd who responded by giving him exactly the kind of cheers he was looking for.

Here is a look at the replay: