DALLAS — The Dallas Stars went without their captain for a majority of Game 3 in the Western Conference Final.
Just nearly two minutes into the first period of Tuesday night's game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Jamie Benn was ejected after he was assessed a five-minute penalty for cross-checking. He was also handed a game misconduct, which removed him from the rest of the game.
The Stars lost to the Golden Knights at the American Airlines Center in a critical Game 3 as Dallas, falling to an 3-0 series hole.
Footage of the incident showed Benn cross-checking Golden Knights' Mark Stone in the head and neck area after Stone was already lying on the ice.
The play saw the Stars' captain sent to the penalty box, and eventually to the locker room after officials' review.
It's possible he could receive additional penalties -- including a suspension for future games -- upon further review from league headquarters. The league tweeted Wednesday morning it would hold a hearing on Benn's cross check.
Benn spoke with the media Wednesday afternoon, where he called the play "unfortunate."
"I just need to be more responsible with my body and my stick," Benn said. "I put my team in a tough situation. It's pretty unfortunate."
Benn was drafted by the Stars in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft but didn't join the roster until the 2009-2010 season.
Back in February 2023, Benn played in his 1,000th NHL game for the same team.