Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn was forced out of Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils after taking what appeared to be a late hit from New Jersey forward Miles Wood in the second period.
Benn had tried to dump a pass off the boards to Tyler Seguin moments before he was crushed. Woods lined up Benn, who had his head turned, and drilled him.
Isolated, the hit itself appeared to be of the clean, shoulder-to-sternum variety. But add in the fact that Benn had already passed the puck away and the hit becomes questionable at best.
Here it is:
Wood was assessed a five-minute major for interference on the play.
The hit also sparked a melee between several players. Esa Lindell of the Stars and New Jersey’s Stefan Noesen each got roughing minors for extracurriculars. John Klingberg was also given a cross-checking penalty for going after Wood.
The Stars announced later in the period that Benn would not return because of an upper-body injury.
Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck