Dallas Stars’ Chances Of Success Without Tyler Seguin

The Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues kick off their second round play tomorrow night. How will Tyler Seguin’s undetermined status affect the Stars’ chances at success?

Things are about to get crazy for the Dallas Stars. The St. Louis Blues came into town today and both teams are preparing for an outrageous second round series showdown.

The top two teams in the Central Division both put on strong showings in the first round against prominent opponents and now have a serious shot at making a run to the Stanley Cup.

One of the most disappointing things about this series may be that only one of these teams will be moving on. They are two of the hottest teams in the league, finishing second and third at the end of the regular season.

But the Dallas Stars will be playing with a slight handicap, at least for the time being. The Stars have been minus superstar center Tyler Seguin since their victory in game two against the Minnesota Wild. While things have not been entirely devastating on the offensive front, there are some other precautions that could prove to be detrimental when the Stars square up with the Blues.

Over the course of the 2015-2016 regular season, Seguin put together another consistent and over-the-top season by scoring 33 goals and tallying 73 points in 72 games. He finished second on the team in terms of scoring, and once again ran an influential and successful first-line attack.

But on March 17, the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning were finishing up an intense game at the American Airlines Center when Seguin went down with an ugly injury. A skate blade from a Lightning player found its way up into Seguin’s skate and cut his achilles. The injury occurred at the end of the game when the Stars clinched a 4-3 win, and he left the ice immediately.

The injury was a serious one that required quick action, and he received a minor surgery to patch it up.  The cut did not require Seguin to miss the remainder of the season, though if the cut had gone 1/8″ deeper, it would have. But it did require Seguin to miss the rest of the regular season, meaning the Stars would have to fight for the Central Division title and first place in the West without their top line center.

But the Stars relied on their depth and proved their dominance by finishing the season out on an 8-2-0 run. They moved on to the Western Conference quarterfinals and took it to the Wild on offense.

Seguin only played one game throughout the six-game series between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild, and did not have a significant impact on what would eventually be a 2-1 win for the Stars.

But now Seguin is out for an undetermined amount of time, and the Stars will once again be forced to function without him. This could prove to be a struggle when going up against a St. Louis Blues squad that thrives on defense.

Tyler Seguin has yet to skate since the second game, and he still remains off-ice with an unknown injury. Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill said that once Seguin does hit the ice for a practice, he will still require four to five days after that before he can participate in a game. Head coach Lindy Ruff pointed out today that he cannot give a timetable for when Seguin begins skating, either.

So does this signal the end of the line for the Dallas Stars? Will Seguin’s absence prove to be the Stars’ kryptonite?

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In this case, it may be. The Stars went 3-2 without him in the first round of the postseason. Even though their offense was still flaring, their ability to close out games is still obviously ineffective. The Stars gave up a two and four goal lead in different games throughout the first round, and ended up losing one of them. Their run-and-gun offensive strategy is great and all, but the defense continues to limp along.

The Stars survived on the first round by scoring themselves out of binds. Without Seguin and against a much tougher opponent on the defensive end, the Stars could be in for trouble. Seguin will miss at least games one and two before being able to come back, but it will more than likely be longer than that.

Next: Stars Will Definitely Be Challenged By Powerhouse Blues

Keep an eye out for how Seguin’s absence affects the Dallas Stars’ success on the offensive side of the puck and overall against the Blues. How bad do you think his absence will plague the Stars? Let us know below. Just around 24 hours or so before the Stars and Blues start up an intriguing series to say the least.