Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was penalized for a backhand punch to the face of Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin during Wednesday night's Game 5 of their first round playoff series at the American Airlines Center.
It happened at the 15:19 mark of the second period with the score tied at 2-2. As Pietrangelo chased the puck in the corner, Seguin pushed him into the boards from the back. Pietrangelo retaliated by firing back with a backhand punch to Seguin, hitting him directly in the face and knocking him to the ice.
Alex Pietrangelo was given a 2-minute minor for this play on Tyler Seguin. pic.twitter.com/f6OmV0apsb
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 2, 2024
Pietrangelo was originally given a five-minute major penalty for elbowing, but it was reduced to a two-minute roughing penalty after a replay review. Seguin came away bleeding and headed to the locker room briefly for some medical attention, but returned to the game before the end of the period.
Pietrangelo's backhand was allegedly retaliation for this hit that Seguin delivered on Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore earlier in the second period, which ironically was also a major penalty that was reduced to a minor upon replay:
Tyler Seguin was assessed a minor penalty for this hit on Shea Theodore after an initial major call and review pic.twitter.com/i5nCt6PPHx
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 2, 2024
We know that Pietrangelo can take a shot as well as he can dish it out, but he has to be careful that his actions do not cost his team. In this case, his penalty became very costly for the Golden Knights, as the Stars scored on the ensuing power play to take a 3-2 lead. The Stars held the lead until the end of the game to come away with the win and now hold a 3-2 lead in the series. The next game is Friday night in Vegas, so Pietrangelo will have to ponder this one until then.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
