NHL dropped the ball on Rantanen's cheap shot of Islanders Romanov

The New York Islanders' Tuesday night matchup was mostly meh until the Islanders scored twice in the third to open up a two-goal lead. Bo Horvat’s goal on a Jake Oettinger miscue, and then Kyle Palmieri’s shorthanded marker brought life to the game.

It was clear that Palmieri’s goal elevated the Dallas Stars’ frustration to the boiling point as the game gradually got aggressive in the final minutes. That frustration boiled over in the final seconds of the game as Mikko Rantanen laid a cheap shot on Alexander Romanov.

Rantanen and Romanov chased a loose puck in the corner with the Dallas Stars’ forward laying into Romanov from behind. The hit rattled the Islanders' blueliner headfirst into the boards, leaving him in agony on the ice.

Here’s a look at the play as shown on the Gino Hard X channel:

Romanov was fortunate enough to lift his head at the final moment. Otherwise, his neck and head could have borne the brunt of the impact.

While Romanov favored his shoulder, it seems like the Isles’ D-man avoided the worst.

But that didn’t diminish the malice behind the hit. Rantanen got a five-minute major for the boarding penalty and the heave-ho. His game misconduct was just the tip of the iceberg. The replay showed how Rantanen made no effort to spare the impact.

If this were an auto insurance investigation, Rantanen would be liable for failing to avoid the accident. The same goes here. Yes, it was a bang-bang play. Yes, there was little time to avoid contact. But Rantanen made no effort to avoid the impact.

Instead, the Stars’ forward tried to cushion his side of the impact with Romanov’s body. Well, Rantanen avoided slamming into the boards, but at the expense of another player. That deserves a suspension.

The NHL must throw the book at Rantanen. It’s not the first time he’s been mired in a dirty play such as this. It was a cheap shot and one that got a closer look from the league. The Department of Player Safety reviewed the play following the game as per official procedure.

As for supplementary discipline, ESPN's Greg Wyshynski reported on Wednesday that the league decided not to suspend Rantanen. According to the report, the league determined that Rantanen's collision with Romanov was the result of incidental contact. There is no way that Scott Mayfield could have pushed Rantanen with enough force to produce such a violent impact. Yet, that's what the league is claiming caused what could have been a horrific, potentially career-ending injury.

The decision is a disappointing one to say the least. The league missed an opportunity to set a precedent for such dangerous types of incidents.