The Stars' Most Impressive Hockey Might Have to Come in Their Final 24 Games
Adversity: they get around it
The Stars put together a pretty impressive 4-1 win over Seattle coming out of the break, coasting to a big lead in the first half of the game despite missing some key players. It won’t be the last time they have to do that, either.
Glen Gulutzan said on Wednesday afternoon that Roope Hintz will try to skate on Thursday as he recovers from an illness. Given that Gulutzan compared to Mikko Rantanen’s virus a month or so back that led to the superstar missing time and losing a chunk of his playing weight before he was back to 100%, it’s clear that Hintz isn’t a guarantee for Saturday. Whatever he’s dealing with, it’s far from the common cold.
Radek Faksa did skate on Wednesday, but he’s only “probable” for Saturday as well, according to his coach. Gulutzan said that while there’s a good chance Faksa could play on Saturday, he also “wouldn’t be surprised” if he wasn’t able to do so. So, do with that what you will.
For now, all the Stars can do is wait and see. And practice, which they’ll do again today.
While some teams spent Wednesday night struggling to wake up after a long winter’s nap, the Dallas Stars started on time, extending their pre-Olympic winning streak to seven games. Doing so without the services of two of their centers as well as their best player made it even more impressive, though not altogether surprising.
Time and again, this year’s Stars team has faced something that could have derailed their season, starting with Jamie Benn’s collapsed lung late in their second pregame contest. Most recently, they weathered a dreary 2-6-4 stretch they chased with a sizzling 8-1-0 run that has been entirely deserved, on the balance of play.
This year, the Stars have constantly found ways to adapt and improve internally, even before some measure of external help presumably arrives at the trade deadline a week from today. It remains to be seen just how much help will arrive, but Jim Nill has historically used the trade deadline to improve winning clubs, and these Stars are definitely that. So, we’ll see what ends up happening, or not happening. But for the team to even be in as good a position as they are is no small feat, given what they’ve dealt with.
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