DeBoer on Benn's ejection: He 'made a mistake'

Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn was ejected less than two minutes into his team's Game 3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights to fall down 3-0 in the Western Conference Final.

Benn was playing out his first shift of the game with Dallas already trailing 1-0 when he bumped Golden Knights forward Mark Stone. After Stone fell to the ice, Benn cross-checked down on him in the neck area.

He received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the action, with the Golden Knights extending their lead to 2-0 on the ensuing power play.

"Let's put it this way: [He] made a mistake, he feels really badly about it," Stars head coach Peter DeBoer said post-game. "I don't think anyone in the building feels worse than he does about it. I'm not going to pile on him. He's been a leader here through his entire career and leads by example every day on and off the ice. [He] made a mistake.

"Fortunately, Mark Stone is okay, and we've got to live with the consequences, and the consequences was a big hole. But I'm not going to stand here and pile on tonight. I don't think it does anybody any good."

Stars veteran Tyler Seguin took a similar stance, putting the loss on the shoulders of the entire team.

"Jamie's one of the, if not the best, captain in this league, top leader," Seguin said. "Collectively, we lost as a group tonight."

Benn has three goals and 11 points over 16 games this postseason after posting 33 goals and 78 points in 82 regular-season games, his best marks in five years. 

The Stars will look to avoid being swept by the Golden Knights when Game 4 takes place Thursday in Dallas.