The Dallas Stars won their latest showdown against the Calgary Flames, but it came at a price. Star winger Jason Robertson took a dangerous hit from Flames center Ryan Strome 0:48 into overtime, causing the Stars’ winger to bleed heavily from the nose. The incident has attracted widespread attention, and now Strome must pay a heavy price for his actions.
NHL Player Safety Imposes Maximum Fine After Strome’s Hit on Dallas Stars’ Jason Robertson
The Flames were ruled out of the playoffs when the Nashville Predators defeated the Anaheim Ducks on Monday. Nonetheless, Calgary showed up to play the Stars at the American Airlines Center on Tuesday with particular ferocity.
Joel Farabee, Yegor Sharangovich, and Zayne Parekh scored back-to-back goals for the Flames, giving the team a 3-1 lead.
However, the Stars soon responded, with Wyatt Johnston making it 3-2, followed by Robertson equalizing on the scoreboard. As the game stretched into overtime, merely 48 seconds in, Robertson took a brutal high stick to his face from Strome. The Stars winger was spotted bleeding from his nose, and the Flames center was assessed with a double-minor for high-sticking.
In the latest development in this saga, the NHL Player Safety Department imposed a $5,000 fine on Strome for cross-checking Robertson. The amount is the maximum possible amount under the Collective Bargaining Agreement and will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Calgary’s Ryan Strome has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for cross-checking Dallas’ Jason Robertson.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) April 8, 2026
Notwithstanding the episode, the winger continued to show up for the Stars. Dallas received a four-minute power play opportunity after Strome was assessed with a double-minor. During the power play, Johnston scored the overtime backhand goal for the Stars off a pass from Robertson to secure the victory for the Stars.
Glen Gulutzan described Strome’s hit as “dirty” before stating that he expects Robertson to be fine and that he is more resilient than many might think. “He’ll be okay, and it was a little bit of a dirty shot. But Robo’s a lot tougher than people think. He’s got a knock, and he makes a play, so he should be fine.”
The Stars are comfortably positioned in the standings and are slated to face formidable division rivals, the Minnesota Wild, on April 9 at the American Airlines Center. Going into the game, Gulutzan stated that the showdown against the Flames will help Dallas recalibrate its efforts against Minnesota.
“I don’t think there will be a lack of focus for the Minnesota game. But the dig-in part was encouraging as we go into the Minnesota game because it makes you aware of what your mindset needs to be going into that game.”
Interestingly, the Stars may have to focus on their goaltending against the Wild. Jake Oettinger made 17 saves and registered a SV% of .850. Casey DeSmith, on the other hand, has delivered more consistently for the Stars over the past few games.
