Stars' Jamie Benn - Game 3 match penalty due to 'unfortunate play' - ESPN

DALLAS — Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn said it was a «heat of the moment» play that led to the match penalty in Game 3, earning him both a first-period ejection and a hearing Wednesday with the NHL Department of Player Safety.

Benn said Wednesday that he needed to be more responsible with his body and stick.

Just 1 minute and 53 seconds into Tuesday night's 4-0 loss to the Golden Knights in Dallas, Benn was given a game misconduct for cross-checking Vegas captain Mark Stone around the jaw while Stone was flat on the ice.

Vegas moved within one victory of a Western Conference finals sweep of the Stars.

«That was my first shift of a game on home ice, when you're pretty jacked up and you're down 1-0. So you want to try and get your game going. Emotions are high and it's just an unfortunate play,» Benn said. «I put my team in a tough situation, so it's pretty unfortunate.»

When asked if he would change anything on the play, Benn said he believed that he fell on Stone.

«Obviously, didn't want to take a five-minute penalty, but when the game happens fast, emotions are high. Obviously I would've liked to not fall on him and I guess use my stick as the landing point,» he said.

Would he use the falling defense in his department of player safety hearing?

«We'll probably go through the whole play starting from our end and I'll try and tell them how I was feeling and what was going on in that situation,» he said.

George Parros, director of the department of player safety, was in attendance at Game 3.

With his team already trailing 1-0 in the first two minutes of the game, Benn knocked Stone to the ice with a check. With Stone on his back, Benn drove his stick down into Stone's jaw area while falling to the ice himself.

The on-ice