The NHL Department of Player Safety has handed down its punishment for the game three play. As if the Dallas Stars were not in a big enough hole, being down 3-0 to the Vegas Golden Knights. Now they will miss their captain for two games, both as the team faces elimination. Jamie Benn has been suspended for his actions.
Dallas’ Jamie Benn has been suspended for two games for Cross-checking against Vegas’ Mark Stone. https://t.co/YBf8qihuCh
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 24, 2023
Jamie Benn Is Suspended for Two Games
The Victoria, BC product, has always had a reputation of being a tough player. However, being down 2-0, on home ice, and needing all hands on deck, this play lacked discipline. Benn, who has worn the C since 2013, no doubt was frustrated with the situation his team was in. His frustrations were compounded when fellow Captain Vegas forward Mark Stone got in his face. Although Stone already has fallen to the ice, to follow through with a cross-check just seemed to show malice. This was the thinking of the league in handing him the two games, in pivotal, season-defining games.
For Benn, he did have a resurgence of a year, boosting his point total from a year ago by 32. He scored 33 goals, and 45 assists for 78 points in the 2022-23 regular season. This is quite impressive when you consider he only logged 15:47 TOI. Furthermore, his analytics were good as well, registering a CF% Rel of 5.6. He has had a decent post-season. He has three goals, eight assists in 16 contests, and 30 hits to go along with it.
Where Does this Leave the Dallas Stars
The team was already in a tough spot. At the time of Benn’s cross-check, the team was already trailing 1-0. This was thanks to Jonathan Marchessault‘s seventh goal of the postseason. The game misconduct for Benn came so early (1:53 in), it did equate to him missing essentially a third game. This may have been considered by the league in handing out the additional two games, rather than something more severe. At least for Dallas, when Scott Wedgewood ended up replacing Jake Oettinger after being down 3-0 early, they did calm down. Hopefully, this will spark some of the players, like Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, or Joe Pavelski. Each player has had good postseasons, but Vegas has been able to shut down thus far.
Main Photo: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
