The Dallas Stars may have been sending a message to the NHL’s Department of Player Safety with their words after Game 2 on Friday.
Stars captain Jamie Benn and coach Peter DeBoer were among those to express their displeasure with Darnell Nurse‘s slash that injured Dallas forward Roope Hintz in the third period of the Edmonton Oilers‘ 3-0 win.
“We didn’t like it. If that was (Connor) McDavid walking down the tunnel, I would like to see the result of that,” Benn said, per Mark Lazerus of The Athletic.
Hintz exited the game after the slash, which resulted in a two-minute penalty. The refs reviewed it to determine if it could be a major, but opted to keep it as a minor.
The rule book seems to indicate it could have been a major. Rule 61.3 on slashing states, “a major penalty, at the discretion of the referee, based on the severity of the contact, shall be imposed on a player who slashes an opponent. When injury occurs, a major penalty must be assessed under this rule.”
An athletic trainer came out to check on Hintz, who stayed down for a couple of minutes before being helped off the ice. He didn’t put his left foot down while teammates Mikael Granlund and Lian Bichsel guided him to the bench. Hintz then went down the tunnel toward the locker room.
Hintz had parked himself in front of the Oilers’ net and gave Nurse a shove from behind. The Oilers’ blue-liner turned around and retaliated with a slash to Hintz’s left leg.
When asked what he thought of the slash, DeBoer also mentioned McDavid’s name.
“I’ll answer your question with a question. Does anyone in this room think if Connor McDavid gets carried off the ice like that, it’s not a five-minute major?” said DeBoer, who did not give an update on Hintz’s condition.
The series, tied at 1-1, shifts to Edmonton for Game 3 on Sunday.
Stars winger Mason Marchment said the team won’t forget about the controversial play.
“A lot of that stuff, you just keep in the back of your mind, and if the opportunity presents itself, then you take your chance,” he said. “We’ve got a long series here.”
— With files from the Associated Press
