Dallas Stars News: Injuries Healing In Time For Stanley Cup Playoffs
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars have been hit relatively hard by injuries over the past two months. But over the next few days, they should be receiving plenty of reinforcements. And with postseason action just around the corner, those reinforcements are coming at the perfect time.
What the Dallas Stars have done over the past month is nothing short of impressive.
In the month of March, the Stars have posted a record of 9-4-1. That mark includes six consecutive road victories (and seven overall), a 1.57 goals against average, and a 3-0-0 record so far throughout a critical road trip. They’ve boosted their playoff odds to 99.8 percent and completely flipped the script after a disappointing March 2018 led to them missing the playoffs entirely.
It’s been an impressive stretch, no doubt. But it’s even more impressive when you realize what they’ve endured throughout that path.
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The injuries have quietly piled up on the Stars over the past few months. It all started back in January when Tyler Pitlick underwent wrist surgery following an injury suffered in a game against the Los Angeles Kings. He’s been recovering ever since. Mats Zuccarello broke his arm while blocking a shot just 24 hours after Dallas traded for him and has been out since late February.
Ben Bishop has been in and out of the lineup with a lower-body injury over the past month. Justin Dowling was injured on Wednesday night in Calgary. Brett Ritchie is also out. And to top it all off, the Stars have been missing Martin Hanzal, Marc Methot, and Stephen Johns for nearly all of the 2018-19 regular season.
Whenever an injury occurs, it requires another player to step up and a quick realignment by the team. Sometimes, the realignment is relatively easy and the team keeps pace; in other cases, though, mass injuries can completely derail a team’s ability to stay competitive and consistent.
The Dallas Stars haven’t let that happen so far this year. When more than half of their defensive group was injured at the same time, they didn’t crumble. And when they lost key lineup players like Bishop, Jamie Benn, and Alexander Radulov, they found a way to manage.
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As a result, they are just two points away from clinching a spot in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Those points could come as early as Saturday night when they take on the Vancouver Canucks to wrap up a four-game road trip.
And when they go up against the Canucks, they’ll have some reinforcements on hand.
Tyler Pitlick will be back in the lineup after missing the last 30 games while recovering from wrist surgery. He’ll skate on the fourth line alongside Valeri Nichushkin and Jason Spezza and help round out the Dallas forward group. In 43 games this season, Pitlick has six goals and 10 points and will provide a boost to the Stars’ defensive efforts.
In addition, forwards Mats Zuccarello and Justin Dowling are both at least three days away. Zuccarello is still recovering from surgery on a broken arm while Dowling suffered an upper-body injury against Calgary on Wednesday night.
Ben Bishop and Brett Ritchie are also currently on “day-to-day” status.
So, what does all of this mean? It means that the Stars should be fully healthy (besides Hanzal, Methot, and Johns, though Dallas has ventured through the majority of the year without them) by the time the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin on April 9.
That should provide an important boost for the Dallas Stars as they get ready for their first postseason appearance since 2016. Add in the fact that the players should get a few games in before the playoffs start, and it’s all the more helpful.
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But they cannot start preparing for that until they officially secure a playoff spot. That could happen tonight at 9 p.m. when the Stars take on the Canucks.