Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen has caught a lot of backlash after his hit in the third period on Alexander Romanov against the New York Islanders. Rantanen was thrown out of the game, but it's not expected for him to be suspended for the hit. Days later, Rantanen spoke out about the hit, and it sounds like he didn't intend to hit Romanov that hard.

“Never meant to do that, never done that my whole career,” Rantanen said. “I've played hard but never tried to be dirty on purpose. Unfortunate moment, but never meant to do it.

“I've never done it if I don't get touched to just bury a dude from behind. I have never done it, so I would never do it. It happened quickly when he fell forward. Unfortunately, I pushed him, but hopefully he's not doing too badly, and I wish him all the best.”

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Rantanen shared that he reached out to Romanov, but hadn't heard from him yet.

There had been multiple reports that Rantanen would be disciplined for the hit, and that hasn't sat right with anybody from the Islanders, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

“Per [Assimakopulos], no supplemental discipline expected for Rantanen. Contact with Mayfield before collision was a factor in the outcome. Islanders obviously very unhappy. Outlook for Romanov unclear, but he had shoulder surgery there a couple of years ago, so, unfortunately, there is concern,” Friedman wrote.

At this point, the hope is that Romanov is fine and that he can return at some point for the Islanders. Rantanen expressed remorse for the hit, so it doesn't seem like he meant to injure him.