The Winter Olympics are over, and the Stars have six members coming home with medals. It was nice seeing that friendly smile that Esa Lindell brings to the locker room. He's such a humble guy who radiates positive energy. However, we have some other things to talk about regarding the lineup tomorrow night. There will be some key players missing from the lineup, such as Mikko Rantanen. Here's the update from practice this morning and what to expect for tomorrow night's game against the Kraken.
One person who's sure to miss the game tomorrow is Mikko Rantanen. He went down in the third period of the semifinal game against Canada. It was a nasty fall, and even I knew right away he was going to miss some time with how that knee bent. Luckily, it's not as serious since they put him on the normal IR last night. That means it's not as serious as it looked on TV. Jim Nill is probably happy that he decided to wait until after the Olympics to make a trade.
While the injury doesn't force Jim Nill to make a speedy trade decision, the good news is that Rantanen should be back before the end of the season. While it's disappointing that our humble moose won't be in the lineup tomorrow night, it's good for him to rest up and be ready for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Stars have plenty of firepower on their roster that can help out if a player goes down with an injury. That's just one of the moves to expect tomorrow.
Secondly, Roope Hintz will miss a couple of games due to illness. While we don't know if he contracted the illness in Italy, we know he will probably be out for at least 1-2 games. It's not going to really affect the offense that much in terms of production if Matt Duchene, Jason Robertson, and Wyatt Johnston are energized. You will see a difference on the first power-play line, since the Stars had Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene on it at practice this morning. Hopefully, the Dutch Oven is still warm and wants to continue his point streak.
Lastly, Radek Faksa might be able to suit up tomorrow night. I don't know if the Stars' training staff wants to hold him out another game to be safe. He's at 96%, but you don't want to see him reinjure himself. Jake Oettinger is expected to return to practice tomorrow morning. He won't start against the Kraken, since this was planned in case Oettinger and Team USA reached the gold medal match. It allows him to get back on a normal sleep cycle and recover from all the partying he's been doing since Sunday morning.
I can't wait to get the remainder of the regular season underway tomorrow night. The Stars who didn't go to Italy are well-rested and ready to compete at the American Airlines Center tomorrow night. The Kraken arrived in town yesterday, and I'm sure they are amped up as much as the Stars are. It's going to be a fun game, where the unexpected could happen with all the injuries and illnesses in the Stars' locker room. The one thing I know they will be ready for is hearing that Pantera on full blast as they take the ice.