Stars’ Mikko Rantanen receives game misconduct after hit on Islanders’ Alex Romanov

Tensions flared Tuesday night between the Dallas Stars and New York Islanders after Mikko Rantanen received a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct for a hit on Alex Romanov.

The hit came with less than 30 seconds left in the game and the Islanders up 3-2. With an empty net, the puck went into the corner with Rantanen and Romanov chasing after it. Rantanen shoved 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.

The Islanders won 3-2.

After the game, Roy shared with reporters his frustration with Rantanen.

“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.”

Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan had a different take on it when speaking with reporters after the game.

“Everybody’s gonna have their own take, but if you watch the play, I think it’s (Islanders’ defenseman Scott) Mayfield … who actually holds up (Rantanen), and they actually clip skates … Rantanen is off-balance going in there, too,” Gulutzan said.

“If you’ve ever played the game, and you’re off-balance heading in, you usually put your hands out,” he continued. “(I)t’s just one of those hockey players that happen.”

Through 20 games, Rantanen has nine goals and 18 assists for 27 points. Since joining the Stars at the trade deadline last March, the 29-year-old winger has 14 goals and 31 assists for 45 points in 40 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 303 goals and 429 assists for 732 points in 672 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.

Meanwhile, Romanov has one assist in 15 games in 2025-26. Through six seasons, he has 17 goals and 67 assists for 84 points in 369 regular-season games with the Islanders and Montreal Canadiens. He was acquired by New York, along with a fourth-round pick, in exchange for the No. 13 overall pick at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.