ELMONT, NY -- New York Islanders forward Casey Cizikas plays the game hard. Dirty, he is not. On Sunday night, in the second period of an eventual 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars, Cizikas got the short end of the stick.

After lighting up Lian Bichsel behind the Stars' net, leading to a scrum, Cizikas' night was done. Not called a penalty on the rink initially, but then called a major, the referees determined that Cizikas committed an illegal check to the head, awarding him a match penalty. 

The call turned the game completely upside down, with the Stars scoring twice on the power play. 

Outside of Matt Martin, no one knows Cizikas's game better than former linemate and current MSG Networks analyst Cal Clutterbuck.

Clutterbuck doesn't strike me as the biased type. He continued to watch the replay, searching for something that would justify his good pal's ejection. 

He couldn't find a thing. 

His teammates and head coach, Patrick Roy, sided with Clutterbuck, believing that Cizikas's main and initial point of contact was the chest, not the head. 

Islanders Can’t Overcome Cizikas Ejection; Fall 4-3 To Dallas <b>ELMONT, NY --</b> The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders">New York Islanders</a> were unable to start their post-4 Nations Face-Off slate on the right skate, falling 4-3 to the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/dallas-stars">Dallas Stars</a> on Sunday night at UBS Arena.

We'll see if Cizikas receives any supplementary discipline for the hit.

A reminder: The referees on the ice are the ones who review the major penalty call, not the NHL. 

Missing the final 26:33 of the game seems like enough for a highly borderline hit to the head, if a hit to the head at all. A suspension of any kind would also mean Cizikas isn't eligible to play against the New York Rangers on Tuesday Night at UBS Arena.

Nobody wants that. 

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