Jamie Benn 'Proud' of Stars for Extending WCF vs. Golden Knights amid Suspension

Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn made a shocking decision in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final, cross-checking Mark Stone in the jaw in the first period. That led to not only a game misconduct penalty that ended his night but also a two-game suspension.

It could have been the final act of his season after the Stars fell into a 3-0 hole in the series against the Vegas Golden Knights. But the team has rallied to force a Game 6, and Benn is grateful his season isn't over.

"I was praying we were going to play two solid games just to get another chance and another kick at it here. I'm really proud of the guys," he told reporters Monday. "It sucks watching, especially in playoffs. The guys had two gutsy efforts. Character wins and a lot of confidence in this room."

While Benn's actions could have created resentment among his teammates and been costly, it instead seemed to rally them, similar to when the team didn't want to see Joe Pavelski's season come to a premature close after he suffered an injury in Game 1 of the first-round series against the Minnesota Wild.

"We didn't want the season for him to end like that," Stars forward Radek Faksa told reporters. "We talked about Pav's injury and how we wanted to get him back in the series. We talked about the same thing with Jamie—that we have to do anything to get him back in the series. And we did."

Head coach Peter DeBoer added that Benn's actions were an aberration.

"Listen, what happened with Jamie... he's not a suspension-a-month guy. He plays a physical, clean game all the time. He crossed the line one night. It's a nonissue," he told reporters. "I don't think it's fair to paint him with that brush based on one incident. He's always been a clean, physical, intimidating player. And he's going to jump right back into that [tonight]."

The Stars are attempting to become the first team in NHL history to erase a 3-0 deficit in the conference final. The last team to do so in the Stanley Cup playoffs was the Los Angeles Kings in 2014.

That attempt comes at the same time the Boston Celtics are attempting to become the first team in NBA history to erase a 3-0 postseason deficit. Game 7 of that series is on Monday night.

The Florida Panthers await either the Stars or Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.