Mark Kastelic crushed Paul Cotter and dropped the gloves with Johnathan Kovacevic as Marco Sturm watched from the Bruins bench with the game tied 3-3 late in the third period.

The play came during an otherwise calm Bruins-Devils matchup. Kastelic stepped into Cotter with a heavy hit along the boards that instantly caught the attention of the Devils bench.

Cotter went down and New Jersey defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic immediately jumped in to defend his teammate.

Kastelic didn't back away. The Bruins forward quickly threw his gloves to the ice and squared off with Kovacevic.

The fight itself didn't last long. A few punches were exchanged before the linesmen moved in and separated both players.

Before the fight even happened, officials had initially signaled a five-minute major on Kastelic's hit. That decision briefly created tension on the ice.

Fight adds spark to tight Bruins-Devils game

After gathering to discuss the play, the referees changed the call. Instead of a major penalty, Kastelic received only a two-minute minor.

That adjustment mattered in a tight game that remained tied 3-3 late in the third period.

The Devils had grabbed momentum earlier when Paul Cotter scored at 2:50 of the third period to give New Jersey a 3-2 lead.

Boston answered not long after. David Pastrnak tied the game again at 4:32 with his second goal of the night.

Outside of that brief sequence, the game itself stayed surprisingly controlled. There were few scrums and almost no post-whistle chaos.

Still, Kastelic's hit changed the tone for a moment. Kovacevic stepping in made sure the Devils responded immediately.

Boston entered the night sitting in the final Eastern Conference wild-card position with 80 points through 66 games.

New Jersey, sitting at 68 points, is chasing from behind and trying to keep its season alive in the playoff race.

So even a short fight in a quiet game can carry weight.

With the score locked 3-3 in the final minutes, every shift suddenly feels like it could decide two critical points.