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New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy unleashed a verbal attack on Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen after he was ejected for a hit on Alex Romanov that sent the defenseman crashing into the boards during Tuesday night’s game.
Rantanen, the Stars’ leading scorer with 27 points, hit Romanov from behind, sending him crashing headfirst into the boards in the final minute of regulation. Rantanen received a 5-minute major for boarding and was ejected from the game.
Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) is called for a misconduct penalty for boarding New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov (28) during the third period at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, Nov. 18, 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
But as Rantanen left the rink between the benches, the broadcast picked up Roy’s verbal attack on the NHLer.
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“You don’t want to finish that game,” he could be heard saying, apparently referring to the two teams’ next game in New York.
Even though Roy was calmer after the match, he continued to yell hit.
“I hope he’ll be OK. At the moment I don’t know exactly what it is,” Roy told reporters of Romanov.
“But all I’m going to say is, when you see the number, you’ve got to lay off. Everybody knows that. You don’t go through the guy. And I’m proud of the way our guys handled it afterward. Nobody was happy to see somebody get hurt like this. Like I said, to me, it’s disrespectful to our guy.
Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) is called for a misconduct penalty for boarding New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov (28) during the third period at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, Nov. 18, 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
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“It shouldn’t be part of our game,” he added.
Romanov did not go to the hospital, but his immediate condition was unknown. The NHL Department of Player Safety will review the hit, but according to The Dallas Morning News, Rantanen is not expected to face further discipline.
Stars coach Glen Gulutzan defended Rantanen after the game, saying he believed the forward’s skate was clipped by Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield, causing him to make contact with Romanov.
Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) is led off the ice after receiving a misconduct penalty for boarding New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov (not pictured) during the third period at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Nov. 18, 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
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“It’s just one of those hockey plays that happened. I hope Romanov is OK,” he said. “It’s a dangerous game for everyone.”
The tense game ended in a 3-2 win for New York after Wyatt Johnston’s expected game-tying goal with 0.1 seconds left was waved off for goaltender interference.
