{"id":57562,"date":"2025-11-20T10:50:22","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T10:50:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/57562\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T10:50:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T10:50:22","slug":"injury-to-alexander-romanov-overshadows-new-york-islanders-tense-win-over-dallas-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/57562\/","title":{"rendered":"Injury to Alexander Romanov overshadows New York Islanders\u2019 tense win over Dallas Stars"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York Islanders<\/a> head coach Patrick Roy<\/a> was livid at Dallas Stars<\/a> forward Mikko Rantanen<\/a> after his hit on Isles defenceman Alexander Romanov<\/a> late in Tuesday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

With 28 seconds to go and the Islanders leading 3-2, Rantanen clipped Romanov from behind and sent the blueliner hard into the boards face-first. He was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the hit, which visibly angered Roy.<\/p>\n

The Islanders\u2019 bench boss appeared to lean in and yell directly at Rantanen as he made his way down the tunnel after the ejection. <\/p>\n

Roy did not let up after the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see the numbers, you have to lay off. Everybody knows that. I mean, you don\u2019t go through the guy,\u201d said Roy. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud of the way that our guys handled it afterwards. No one was happy to see someone get hurt like this. It\u2019s disrespectful for our guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy noted that he briefly coached Rantanen as a rookie in 2015-16, his final season with Colorado, and said playing dirty was not his style.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut at the same time, that should not be part of our game,\u201d Roy said.<\/p>\n

Roy did not have an update on Romanov, who appeared to be in a great deal of pain but was able to skate off the ice under his own power after the hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever your friend gets hurt, it\u2019s way more important than hockey,\u201d teammate Jean-Gabriel Pageau<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

Stars coach Glen Gulutzan defended Rantanen because he believed his skate was clipped by Islanders defenceman Scott Mayfield<\/a>\u2019s to cause him to raise his arms for balance right before contact with Romanov that in turn increased the intensity of the hit. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just one of those hockey plays that happened. I hope Romanov is okay,\u201d Gulutzan said. \u201cIt\u2019s a dangerous play for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Rantanen told reporters via The Dallas Morning News\u2019 Lia Assimakopoulos that he reached out to Romanov to wish him well and let him know he did not intend anything malicious on the play.<\/p>\n

Mikko Rantanen said he reached out to Alexander Romanov to wish him well and tell him he didn\u2019t intend anything malicious by the hit. He said he hasn\u2019t heard back yet.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Lia Assimakopoulos (@Lassimak) November 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

The Stars clearly understood why the Islanders were so upset.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re sticking up for their guy. We have to respect that,\u201d said forward Jason Robertson<\/a>, who had two goals. \u201cIt\u2019s just unfortunate it happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Isles added another statement victory to their remarkable road trip Tuesday night, turning back one of the NHL\u2019s best teams in a tense finish with a little help from the league\u2019s replay review crew.<\/p>\n

The third period of their 3-2 win over Dallas was about as action-packed as a regular season game could be, all the way down to the final tenth of a second when the Stars were awarded the tying goal on the ice only to have it taken away after the video review at league headquarters.<\/p>\n

As Robertson darted toward the net with the final seconds ticking away, Wyatt Johnson put a shot on the net as Robertson ran into goalie David Rittich<\/a>, who fell on his back as the puck went in and the arena erupted. But the NHL\u2019s Situation Room initiated a review and ruled that Robertson impaired Rittich\u2019s ability to play the puck. The Stars contended that Robertson was pushed by an Islanders player into the crease.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur side\u2019s going to say Robo got pushed. Their side\u2019s going to say Robo ran into the goalie,\u201d Stars forward Tyler Seguin<\/a> said. \u201dIt kind of is what it is in an 82-game season.\u201d<\/p>\n