Stars’ Mikko Rantanen suspended after second ejection in one week
Dallas Stars’ forward Mikko Rantanen was automatically suspended one game after receiving his second game misconduct in a week, according to a statement from the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety on Sunday, following Saturday’s game against the Calgary Flames.
According to NHL Player Safety, a player will receive a one-game suspension if they receive two game misconducts before playing in 41 consecutive regular-season games.
Rantanen was ejected late in the second period during the Stars-Flames game after delivering a hit from behind on Calgary forward Matt Coronato. Rantanen received a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
Mikko Rantanen receives a five-minute major and a game misconduct for this hit on Matt Coronato.
Coronato went down the tunnel following the hit. pic.twitter.com/Yr0rrVSYXW
The Flames won the game 3-2.
The first incident occurred last Tuesday during the Stars’ 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders. With less than a minute to go, Rantanen shoved Alex Romanov in the back, making the Islanders’ defenseman crash into the boards.
A scrum ensued and Romanov was helped off the ice. Rantanen was given five and a game, and as he left the ice, New York head coach Patrick Roy screamed at the Stars’ forward.
“When you see the number, you have to lay off, everybody knows that,” Roy told reporters after the game. “You don’t go through the guy … to me, it’s disrespectful. That should not be part of our game.”
Through 22 games, Rantanen has 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points. Since joining the Stars at the trade deadline last March, the 29-year-old winger has 15 goals and 31 assists for 46 points in 42 games. He would sign an eight-year, $96-million contract that will keep him in Dallas through the 2032-33 season.
Now in his 11th NHL season, Rantanen has 304 goals and 429 assists for 733 points in 674 regular-season games with the Stars, Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche.
Rantanen has also played in 99 career playoff games, where he’s scored 43 goals and 80 assists for 123 points. He was a major factor in the Avalanche’s 2022 Stanley Cup championship.
The Stars are now 13-5-4 with 30 points, second in the Central Division. They are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.