Islanders’ Patrick Roy Blasts Mikko Rantanen for Dangerous Hit on Alexander Romanov
DALLAS — The Islanders were shaken after a brutal late-game hit by Mikko Rantanen that left defenseman Alexander Romanov seemingly seriously injured in the final 27.3 seconds of a 3–2 win over the Stars on Tuesday night. Head coach Patrick Roy harshly criticized Rantanen, calling the play “disrespectful to our guys.”
With Romanov skating toward the end boards and his back numbers clearly visible, Rantanen drove him forcefully from behind. Romanov’s head appeared to strike the glass first, and he immediately crumpled to the ice, eventually needing assistance to leave the rink.
According to an Islanders spokesperson, Romanov did not require off-site medical care, but the team had no further update on his condition.
Rantanen received a five-minute boarding major and a 10-minute game misconduct. Roy exchanged heated words with him as the Colorado forward headed down the tunnel.
“I just hope he’s OK,” Roy said. “I’m not sure exactly what the injury is. But when you see a guy’s number, you have to pull up. Everyone knows that. You don’t go through him. I’m proud of how our guys responded. Nobody wants to see a teammate get hurt like that. To me, it’s disrespectful.”
Stars coach Glen Gulutzan defended Rantanen, claiming his skates were clipped by Scott Mayfield, which caused him to lose balance and crash into Romanov.
“I’ve seen Rants play for a decade — it’s just one of those things that happens in hockey,” Gulutzan said. “I hope Romanov is all right.”
Roy, who coached Rantanen when Colorado drafted him, acknowledged the play was out of character but still unacceptable.
“That’s not who he is. But that kind of hit shouldn’t be in our game,” Roy said.
Even with a hard-fought victory that halted Dallas’ five-game winning streak and improved New York to 5–1–0 on the road trip, the atmosphere in the locker room was subdued.
“Put yourself in our shoes — when a friend goes down like that, it’s bigger than hockey,” Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. “Yes, we’re happy to get the two points, but everyone’s first concern was Rommy.”
Romanov previously missed five games this season with an upper-body issue, during which the Islanders brought up Marshall Warren. Warren could rejoin the team for Thursday’s matchup in Detroit if Romanov is unable to play.
In goal, David Rittich got the start and made 22 saves on 24 shots, with Roy explaining that the team wants to manage both Rittich and Ilya Sorokin to keep them fresh. Simon Holmstrom was sidelined by illness, allowing Maxim Tsyplakov to enter the lineup.
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