We’ve mentioned it before and reiterated its effect on this season. It’s something that every professional sports team will inevitably deal with at one point or another. It has decimated hope for the Dallas Stars this season, leveled any momentum the team had towards making the playoffs.
If you haven’t caught the drift yet, it’s time to discuss the lengthy list of injuries the team has endured this season.
The Dallas Stars continued their four-game road trip in Vancouver, demolishing a three-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Canucks. Goals by Ales Hemsky, Esa Lindell, Tyler Seguin and Radek Faksa pushed the team towards their last game before returning home.
This road trip had a painful beginning, but it seemed that the Stars were able to use the losses as a motivation for Thursday.
Injury has been a large factor in the results of Dallas’ 2016-2017 season. We’ve touched on it before but here it is again, in chronological order: the full list of Dallas Stars injuries from this season.
(Data provided by the Dallas Stars PR Staff)
"Current IR:F Antoine Roussel, Upper Body, March 4- PresentF Mattias Janmark, Knee, October 13- PresentPrevious IR:F Adam Cracknell, Lower Body, out 5 games, February 24- March 4F Ales Hemsky, Hip, out 55 games, October 25- February 28Groin, out 4 games, October 13-20D Johnny Oduya,Lower Body, out 15 games, January 19- February 24Lower Body, out 10 games, November 21- December 10D Stephen JohnsIllness, out 2 games, February 16-18Lower Body, out 1 game, December 23F Jason SpezzaUpper Body, out 5 games, February 4- presentLower Body, out 5 games, November 6-16Lower Body, out 2 games, October 25-27D Jamie Oleksiak, Upper Body, out 12 games, January 12- February 9F Radek Faksa, Lower Body, out 2 games, January 24-26F Jamie Benn, Lower Body, out 4 games, January 4-12F Antoine Roussel, Upper Body, out 4 games, December 23-31F Patrick SharpConcussion-like Symptoms, out 12 games, December 3-29Concussion-like Symptoms, out 14 games, October 22-November 17F Curtis McKenzie, Upper Body, out 2 games, December 13-15D Julius Honka, Upper Body, out 5 games, December 8-15F Jiri HudlerIllness, out 18 games, November 3-December 8Illness, out 5 games, October 18-27F Cody Eakin, Knee, out 17 games, October 13- November 15F Patrick Eaves, Lower Body, out 1 game, October 22D Jamie Oleksiak, Lower Body, out 2 games, October 13-15"
This season has been a long and emotionally draining road for the Stars.
To make the wild card spot, the Dallas Stars will need to make an 180º in their remaining 12 games.
Thursday night seemed to show a totally different side of the Stars, one that we had forgotten they had. We saw a team who had the drive to win, desperate the prove to both their fans and themselves that they were willing to fight for the Stars’ name.
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When John Klingberg went down after taking a shot to the shin, there was a sigh of disappointment. There goes another one, we thought as he was assisted off the ice at the end of the third period. Luckily, Klingberg was back on the ice for the third period.
As for Jamie Benn, who did not return for the third period, his status has not been disclosed. It is unclear if he was injured during a fight with Nikita Tryamkin or from an earlier game.
Fingers crossed for the captain.
The Dallas Stars travel to finish their road trip Friday against the Calgary Flames. The adversity that the Stars have had to deal with this season would deter any team, especially after the success of their previous season.
Their struggle to stay afloat puts things into a humbling perspective. Winning doesn’t come easily, and those who lead the standings got there because they worked for it. Luck plays a minimal role in the success of a team’s season.
Next: Stars Simply Waiting For Nightmare Season To Be Over
It’s been a struggle this year, but hopefully, the team learned to value every opportunity they have once they hit the ice every day.