The Minnesota Wild (3-2) took a 3-2 series lead with a 4-2 win over the Dallas Stars (2-2) in Dallas on Tuesday.
Game 6 is set for Thursday back in Minnesota at 6:30.
In Game 5, Stars' captain Jamie Benn was at it again with his behind-the-play antics.
Benn, 36, has zero points in five games and is a minus-5. He has just one goal in his last 23 playoff games.
The NHL Department of Player Safety announced on Wednesday that they have fined Benn $2,604.17, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for cross-checking Wild forward Ryan Hartman during Game 5 of the teams’ First Round series in Dallas
The incident occurred at 14:45 of the third period. Benn was assessed a minor penalty for cross-checking.
Here is the NHL DOPS explaining the Auston Matthews suspension decision on the Benn clip... weird how it fits perfectly pic.twitter.com/VUhP2Hjke9
Hartman was assessed a minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. This is the sixth cross-check Benn has delivered with full force. It was the first one that resulted in a penalty and the first one that resulted in the NHL taking notice.
But that slap on the wrist of $2,604.17 won't stop Benn's antics. He has been fined or suspended in four out of the last five playoffs. He was suspended in 2023 for cross-checking.
Fining him $2,604.17 isn't an acceptable justification for this decision and will only allow him to continue this.
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NHL Must Address Jamie Benn After String of Dangerous, Uncalled Plays Jamie Benn's dangerous, uncalled playoff antics continue. The NHL faces pressure to address a pattern of reckless plays impacting star players.
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