Dallas Stars overcoming injuries has been critical in the postseason
By Reid Hanson
It’s been a hard road for the Dallas Stars this postseason. From the opening series against the Wild in which they lost Game 1, to the second series against the Kraken in which they also lost Game 1, things haven’t come easy for the hockey team from North Texas.
Like most postseasons, the Stanley Cup Playoffs is a war of attrition. The intensity is unlike any other post and the casualties are an unavoidable consequence.
The Dallas Stars have suffered significant injuries this postseason yet found a way to stay alive until their critical players could return.
It started right from the jump with Joe Pavelski. The Dallas Stars lost their veteran leader to a vicious hit in Game 1 against the Wild. Concussed, Pavelski was lost for the entire series. A series that became exponentially more difficult without one of their more valuable players.
His absence seemed to impact the entire top line and the Dallas Stars had to scramble to pick up the slack elsewhere. They did and Pavelski returned to the team in Game 1 against the Kraken. With 4 goals in his first game back, it’s safe to say he hit the ground running.
the Dallas Stars not only survived his absence but they got him back into playing at peak performamce.
A similar thing happened against the Kraken in the Dallas Stars second series. After suffering a gruesome puck to the face in Game 3, defensive MVP Miro Heiskanen was out. The results on ice proved his value to the team. The Stars may not have shown they could survive his loss, they did show Miro could survive a a nasty injury.
Heiskanen returned to the ice in Game 4 and the Stars picked up where they left off. Shutting down Seattle’s offense in the first two periods and winning 6-3 to even the series.
Pavelski cam back to collect six goals this series and there’s still potentially three more games to go. Heiskanen came back (in a full protective mask) to log the most minutes on the team (31).
In Game 4, the Dallas Stars lost Ty Dellandrea (flu), Jani Hakanpaa (pre-game injury), and Mason Marchment (in-game injury). If history is any indicater, they should have no issue picking up where they left off when they return.
The Dallas Stars and taking it on the chin and still standing. This is what it takes in the Stanley Cup Playoffs