Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno has been assessed a major penalty after he caught Dallas Stars forward Radek Faksa with a dirty knee-on-knee hit.
Faksa had to be helped from the ice, while Foligno would soon be ejected from action.
Take a look for yourself at the play:
The good news for Stars fans is that Faksa was able to avoid what could have been a significant knee injury and has returned to the game:
The Stars are looking to take a 3-2 series lead over the Wild before the two teams return to Minnesota for what could be a deciding Game 6.
Some fans are calling for Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno to be suspend, others want the NHL to leave him alone and slow down all the penalties he’s been assessed in the first round series against the Dallas Stars.
Well, you’ll get none of the above.
According to insider Michael Russo of the Athletic, “The chance of Foligno being further disciplined by the league is miniscule.”
There are reportedly little chances that the NHL Player Safety department calls Foligno in for a hearing after he was assessed a major penalty after he caught Stars forward Radek Faksa with a knee-on-knee hit in Game 5 last night.
Faksa was able to avoid what could have been a significant knee injury and returned to the game, which might have helped Foligno’s case. When asked about the hit, the Wild forward wasn’t as vocal as he’s previously been on the officiating but wondered why he was ejected from the contest.
“A major, I don’t know,” Foligno said. “I don’t agree with it obviously. I’m keeping my lane, and it’s unfortunate we both hit in that leg area. I wouldn’t say it’s a knee-on-knee. I hit him on the upper area. He’s rotating out of the way. I don’t move my leg at all. I stay my course. That’s how I see it.
“If you want to give me a penalty, for sure, but a five-minute and a game misconduct to throw us out of here, yeah, I just don’t agree with that.”
Through five games, Foligno has collected 35 penalty minutes, including two misconducts. Dallas has scored four PPGs on Foligno penalties.
While it may be good news for some fans that Foligno will not get further discipline from the NHL for the hit, it was definitely the turning point in the game. The Stars got the 4-0 win and could not close out the series in Minnesota on Friday.
Unless Foligno stays composed and disciplined and can help his team push the series to an ultimate Game 7.
The Minnesota Wild were the victims of a pretty inexcusable call on the part of the National Hockey League’s officials on Sunday night and, if the veins that were practically bursting from the head of Wild head coach Dean Evason were any indication, it seems very unlikely that they are going to be happy with the outcome of Game 4.
The Wild were battling the Dallas Stars in a hotly contested game, one that was separated by only a single goal in the third period, when Wild forward Marcus Foligno was shaken up on a play after an awkward attempt at a hit on Stars forward Mason Marchment. Marchment managed to avoid the majority of the contact, but in doing so his stick came across the face of Foligno and would in fact result in the Wild forward being busted open on the play.
Although it initially appeared as though the Wild might get a power play out of the whole thing, when Foligno got back up to his feet he was shocked to learn that he was in fact the one headed to the penalty box. The officials on the ice had called Foligno for “tripping” on the play, resulting in outrage from both Foligno as well as the rest of the Minnesota Wild.
Making matters even worse, the Stars would score on the ensuing power play with Stars forward Tyler Seguin notching the power play goal. It was at this moment that Evason appeared to be boiling on the bench, with his face muscles seemingly contorting as he did his best to contain his anger at the NHL’s officials.
Adding insult to injury, the Wild managed to come within a goal by scoring with only a minute left on the game clock. That means that this call from the NHL officials, and the ensuing power play goal, proved to be a deciding factor in tonight’s game.
Game 4 between the Minnesota Wild and the Dallas Stars will go down as a controversial one, with many on the Minnesota Wild side of the equation leaving the game feeling like they got a raw deal from the National Hockey League’s officials. None more so than veteran Wild forward Marcus Foligno.
Following the conclusion of Game 4, Foligno made no effort to hide his disdain, or avoid any potential fines, when he slammed the officiating in Sunday’s game. Specifically, Foligno objected to a pair of penalty calls that had been made against him during the course of the game.
The first, an interference call that Foligno argues should have been fair game, and a highly controversial “tripping” call that would be levied against Foligno at a pivotal moment late in the game’s third period.
”It’s a joke. It doesn’t make any sense,” said Foligno on Sunday. “I go to hit a guy who touches the puck. It’s not interference. I go, I get high-sticked in the face. It’s not a tripping call when you hit a guy clean on. It’s bullshit.”
Foligno also indicated that he had received no explanation for why the call was made, and used the word “arrogant” to describe what he did encounter from the NHL officials on the ice Sunday night.
