Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn lost his mind early into Game 3, cross-checking Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone when he was in a vulnerable position on the ice. After receiving a major penalty and a game misconduct, Benn has now been suspended for two games.
“This is simply an unnecessarily dangerous decision by Benn and it is delivered with sufficient intent and force to merit supplemental discipline,” the suspension video said.
Pretty hard to argue that given how the play unfolded.
Benn has been fined four times in his 1,000+ game career and has never been suspended before, so that was taken into consideration when the DoPS doled out their punishment. Had Benn qualified as a repeat offender, this suspension could have been even heavier.
If the Stars get swept in Game 4 on Thursday night, Benn would have to serve the second game of his suspension in the first regular season game of the 2023-2024 season. Barring some unforeseen circumstance, that would mean Benn would be out for opening night next year.
Benn declined to speak to the media yesterday about the incident, leaving his teammates to answer questions about the incident. None of his teammates expressed anything other than support of their captain. “I don’t know. Tied up, engaged and went for a little extra. Emotions get the best of all of us at some point and we move on,” Joe Pavelski said.
With Benn sidelined, the Stars face an already uphill battle without the guy that they say sets the tone on and off the ice for this team. No team has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit in the Conference Finals, and only five teams have ever done it in the playoffs in NHL history. The latest to do it was the Los Angeles Kings, that rallied to defeat the San Jose Sharks in the first round in 2014 on their way to the Stanley Cup.
The others? Philadelphia Flyers over Boston Bruins in the quarterfinal in 2010, the New York Islanders over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the quarterfinal in 1975, and the Toronto Maple Leafs to snatch a Stanley Cup away from the Detroit Red Wings in 1942.