Joe Pavelski’s status for the rest of the Stars-Wild playoff series is uncertain after a jarring hit by Minnesota’s Matt Dumba forced the veteran out of the game.
As Pavelski skated to to the left of the Wild net and attempted a backhand shot in the second period, Dumba unloaded with a high shoulder hit in what would be a 3-2 Minnesota win in double overtime.
Pavelski’s head collided with the ice and he remained still for several moments before looking wobbly as he skated off.
The Wild would go on to win the game 3-2 in double overtime.
“I’m not confident for Game 2,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said of the 38-year-old Pavelski’s status, with the next game in Dallas on Wednesday night.
“He’s OK. He’s walking out of the rink on his own OK.”
Dumba initially received a five-minute major penalty before it was downgraded to a two-minute minor on review.
“To be honest, I thought it was a clean hit. I figured (the refs) were going to see the same. Shoulder on shoulder,” the Wild defenseman said. “I don’t even know why I got the roughing, probably because I was just in the box already.”
The Stars were leading the game 2-1 at the time of the hit.
Sam Steel tied it later in the second period, before Ryan Hartman won it in double overtime.
“We have the best officials in the world. They called a five, they reviewed it, which is the right thing to do,” DeBoer said. “If they reviewed and decided it wasn’t a bad hit then, you know, I guess it’s not for me to argue with that. They got to look at it at multiple different angles and that was the decision they made, so we’ve got to live with that.”
A play involving Pavelski in the 2019 playoffs helped lead the NHL to expand its video review process to allow officials to review major penalties to determine whether the call was accurate. That change gave referees the option to reduce a major penalty to a minor, as happened with Dumba’s hit Monday night.
Had that expanded process been in use in 2019, it could have potentially changed the complexion of Game 7 in a first-round series between Vegas and San Jose after Pavelski, then with the Sharks with DeBoer as his coach there, took a hit from Cody Eakin.
The Golden Knights were leading 3-0 when Eakin was assessed a major penalty for that hit, which the league later told Vegas was not the right call. The Sharks scored four times on the ensuing major penalty and won 5-4 in overtime.
Pavelski had 28 goals and 49 assists this season.
— With AP