DALLAS — It was a night to forget for the Dallas Stars.
Down 2-0 in their Western Conference Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Stars imploded on home ice, losing 4-0 and losing their cool in the process.
It all started to unravel when captain Jamie Benn was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct after he cross-checked Mark Stone while the Golden Knights forward was already laid out on the ice.
Dallas seemed lost after that point, allowing a goal on the ensuing power play on the way to what Dane Lewis of Locked on Stars called "the most embarrassing loss in Stars history.
"It's not an exaggeration, and it's not even close," he said.
Not only did the Stars not keep the game competitive after falling behind 1-0 pretty early in the contest, Benn made the indefensible and "selfish" decision to cross-check Stone, a bad look for the longtime Stars captain.
To make matters worse, Benn could very well miss another game or two if the NHL deems the incident worthy of suspension.
What else went wrong for the Stars?
- Evgenii Dadonov sustained a lower-body injury in a collision with teammate Roope Hintz.
- Max Domi was assessed penalties for cross-checking and roughing, and a 10-minute game misconduct with 22 seconds left in the second period after an incident with Vegas defenseman Nicolas Hague.
- Jake Oettinger was pulled after allowing three goals on five shots.
It got so bad that Dallas fans started throwing stuff.
Benn declined to speak to the media after the game, but the Stars released the following statement on Wednesday morning in regards to the popcorn tossing and other debris that hit the ice.
Vegas is now up 3-0 in the series, and the Golden Knights can punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final with a win in Game 4 on Thursday.
Whether Benn's in the lineup and the Stars can turn things around remains to be seen.