Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen is once again making headlines, though not for the reasons fans would hope. The Stars have been one of the league’s top teams this season, currently sitting second in the Central Division and trailing only the Colorado Avalanche in overall standings.
They came off a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. Still, the game drew attention because of a frightening incident involving Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper and Rantanen.
Stars’ Mikko Rantanen Addresses Goalie Collision with Kings
In the first period at 16:00, during an offense by Dallas, Rantanen battled Kings defenseman Brian Dumoulin in front of the net. Then, Rantanen collided with Kuemper after a shot on goal. It sent him down to the ice. While Dallas initially scored on the play, the referee immediately waved it off.
Mikko Rantanen injures Darcy Kuemper
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Kuemper took a forearm to the head and remained down for several minutes before leaving the game, not returning afterward. Anton Forsberg replaced him in net, allowing three goals for the remainder of the night.
After the game, Rantanen stressed he had no intent to hit Kuemper. “Yeah, it was unfortunate. I was just driving the net, and thought my route was top of the blue [crease],” Rantanen said. “Dumoulin was there kinda pushing me that way. I didn’t see he [Kuemper] was top of the blue. Unfortunate to see him go down. I told him right away, ‘my bad.’ Hopefully he doesn’t miss too much time.”
The incident sparked a brief exchange near the bench with Kings’ Corey Perry, and later joined by Samuel Helenius. While Rantanen defended himself. Despite the collision, Rantanen got a goal and an assist later in the game.
Los Angeles head coach Jim Hiller did not like what he saw during the collision, saying, “I saw a player come into the blue paint and run into our goaltender. That’s what I saw,”
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This isn’t Rantanen’s first controversial moment this season. He previously delivered a hit to the Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov causing injury. Then, two games later, he struck the Calgary Flames forward Matt Coronato. It resulted in a brief exit and a subsequent one game suspension.
Darcy Kuemper has been a key player this season for Los Angeles. He got a 2.19 GAA and .917 SV%. He has also missed time due to a lower-body injury previously. The focus now turns to his recovery and timely return to the ice without complications.
