Dallas Stars News: Joel L’Esperance Recalled, Denis Gurianov To AHL
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars spent Friday afternoon making a handful of roster moves as well as updating various injuries. Catch up on the latest as you get ready for tomorrow’s contest in North Carolina.
It’s been a busy eight days for the Dallas Stars.
Last Thursday night, they opened up a five-game road trip in Nashville against one of their Central division rivals. The game ended in an overtime loss for the Stars, but it was another impressive point gained by Dallas that put them at 5-0-1 in their six previous contests.
Following their game against the Predators, the Stars headed across the country to Glendale, Arizona for a Saturday afternoon matchup with the Coyotes. Dallas stumbled out of the gate and fell into a 3-0 hole early in the third period. And, though the Stars fought, they ended up on the wrong side of a 3-2 loss. It was their first regulation loss in almost a month.
The Stars then returned home for a brief period as they said goodbye to their mothers after wrapping up the first-ever “mom’s trip” and prepared to hit the road again.
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Tuesday night took the Stars to south Florida as they squared off with the Florida Panthers for the first time in the 2018-19 season. Dallas kept themselves in the game and did enough to fend off a desperate Panthers team in a 3-0 win.
But two nights later, they suffered their worse loss of the season as they took a 6-0 beating from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
That brings us to Friday. The Dallas Stars took today off, and it was probably a needed break.
As the Stars head to Raleigh, North Carolina to prepare for a Saturday night matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes, Friday gave them a chance to recharge, heal up, and assess their lineup. After losing 6-0 regardless of the opponent or situation, a heavy assessment is almost always required.
And during their day off, the Stars made some changes. Here’s a rundown to get you all caught up.
Gurianov reassigned to Texas Stars
The Dallas Stars started their day of transactions on Friday morning when they reassigned forward Denis Gurianov back to the Texas Stars of the AHL.
Gurianov had been playing in Dallas since Jan. 19, but had been in-and-out of the starting lineup. His speed and ability to create offense made the rookie a smart option for the Stars, but he had recently been struggling to make a consistent impact in the lineup.
In 19 NHL games this season, Gurianov has one goal and four points as well as a -3 rating in 11:14 of average ice time.
L’Esperance on the way to NHL
With Gurianov leaving, Dallas also recalled center Joel L’Esperance from the Texas Stars. It’s the recall that could be just what the Stars need.
At 23 years old, L’Esperance currently leads all AHL skaters in goals scored with a whopping 27. He’s also got 42 points in 49 games this season.
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Simply put: he’s tearing it up with Texas. He’s second among AHL rookies in points and also sits second in the league in power play goals with 11.
L’Esperance was never drafted by an NHL club, but signed an amateur tryout contract with the Texas Stars last spring. He played in nine regular season games, tallying one goal and two points. L’Esperance also followed that performance up with one goal and four points in 22 games during the Calder Cup Playoffs.
His efforts earned him a two-year, entry level deal with the organization. And, after tearing it up in his rookie career at the AHL level, he’s going to get his first shot at the NHL.
At 6’2, 210 lb., he just might be the mix of size and scoring that a Dallas offense starving for goals needs.
Injury update: Klingberg, Comeau
The Dallas Stars were dealing with a handful of injuries on Thursday night as they took on the Lightning.
A few minutes before the game, the team announced that forward Blake Comeau would miss the game with an upper-body injury. With the team being off on Friday, there won’t be an update on his status until Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, John Klingberg is okay after blocking a puck with his foot in the game against the Lightning. Klingberg missed the final 14 minutes of Thursday’s game and had x-rays done, but he’s all cleared.
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With new players in the lineup and potential injuries lingering, Saturday’s contest against a strong Carolina Hurricanes team could provide quite the challenge.