The Dallas Stars are facing uncertainty about the status of their veteran center, Joe Pavelski, after a hard hit by Minnesota Wild’s Matt Dumba in Game 1 of the playoffs. Pavelski was not present at the team meeting on Tuesday, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be available for Game 2 and beyond (AP News).
In Monday night’s game, the Stars lost to the Wild in double overtime, with Ryan Hartman scoring the winning goal with 7:40 remaining (The Athletic). Fans were outraged by Dumba’s hit on Pavelski, with some labeling it “absolutely classless” (Star-Telegram). A Dallas columnist even urged the Stars to seek revenge against Dumba (Sports Illustrated).
Despite these setbacks, the Stars are still considered a dark-horse bet to win the Stanley Cup this year (Axios). They have several prolific players on their roster, including veteran defenseman Ryan Suter, who has been with the team since his first NHL hat-trick against the Washington Capitals (Sportskeeda).
The Dallas Stars will need to regroup and refocus if they hope to make it to the next round of the playoffs. Their next game against the Minnesota Wild will be a critical one, and fans will be eagerly watching to see if Joe Pavelski will be able to make a comeback (WFAA).
