"Romanov was fortunate enough to lift his head at the final moment. Otherwise, his neck and head could have borne the brunt of the impact. While Romanov favored his shoulder, it seems like the Isles' D-man avoided the worst. But that didn't diminish the malice behind the hit. Rantanen got a five-minute major for the boarding penalty and the heave-ho. His game misconduct was just the tip of the iceberg. The replay showed how Rantanen made no effort to spare the impact."
"If this were an auto insurance investigation, Rantanen would be liable for failing to avoid the accident. The same goes here. Yes, it was a bang-bang play. Yes, there was little time to avoid contact. But Rantanen made no effort to avoid the impact. Instead, the Stars' forward tried to cushion his side of the impact with Romanov's body. Well, Rantanen avoided slamming into the boards, but at the expense of another player. That deserves a suspension."
Tuesday's game remained largely uneventful until the Islanders scored twice in the third period to take a two-goal lead. Bo Horvat scored on a Jake Oettinger miscue and Kyle Palmieri added a shorthanded goal. The Stars' frustration escalated late and culminated when Mikko Rantanen delivered a hit from behind on Alexander Romanov, driving Romanov headfirst into the boards. Romanov required assistance to leave the ice and favored his shoulder, though he lifted his head. Rantanen received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding. Replay shows Rantanen made no apparent effort to avoid impact, prompting calls for suspension.
Read at Eyes On Isles
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