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Dallas Stars Now Have Jamie Benn Injury To Deal With
The Dallas Stars infirmary ward continues to gain new faces. Now the Stars’ captain is day-to-day, and that’s definitely going to test Dallas.
As the Dallas Stars gave away three goals in the first period of their New Year’s Eve matchup against the Florida Panthers, it was clear that the Stars probably wouldn’t be ending 2016 on a high note.
One of their biggest problems in the game turned out to be their offense. Though Dallas put up 36 shots, the majority of them were on broken chances or from low-quality scoring areas. The Panthers’ defense also did a good job of keeping the Stars out of the slot and giving them few chances.
The Dallas Stars did find a way to score one goal, though. It was scored late in the second period by Patrick Eaves on the power play. The Stars’ first PP unit worked the puck around until Eaves found an opening on the doorstep and cashed in.
But the goal came at a cost. While behind the net retrieving the puck, Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn got tied up with Mark Pysyk. As Benn cleared the puck out to the blue line, Pysyk got his stick lodged in Benn’s left skate. As he tried to move his stick, Benn’s ankle was twisted awkwardly as he tumbled to the ice.
Benn played the remainder of the game in an attempt to help the Stars get back into the fight. The score ended up remaining 3-1, and after the game Stars head coach Lindy Ruff said that Benn “got a little dinged up.” He pointed out that they would continue to monitor Benn over the next few days and that they hoped that allowing Benn to play the rest of the game didn’t make the injury worse.
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After taking New Year’s Day off, the Dallas Stars returned to practice today in Frisco. While Antoine Roussel, who is currently on IR, skated the full practice and looks ready to go, Benn was not on the ice. After practice, he told the media that he tweaked his foot and was going to take it day by day.
As if the Stars needed anymore injury troubles. The Stars’ biggest enemy this season (besides overtime) has been their excessive number of injuries. Mattias Janmark, Ales Hemsky, Cody Eakin, Jason Spezza, Patrick Sharp, Johnny Oduya, and Antoine Roussel have all missed extensive periods of time this season because of injuries. And now they can add their captain and leader to the list.
All of these players are typical starters for the Stars, and at one point in the year Dallas was missing four of their typical top six forwards. That’s not a winning recipe, but somehow the Stars managed to stay afloat.
But now without their captain, they will be put through a whole new test.
Now first off, there is no estimation for how long Jamie Benn will be out. He could be out for seven games, or he may not even miss one. After all, he played over half of the 2014-15 season with a nagging hip injury that required offseason surgery and he somehow won the Art Ross Trophy. That’s just the kind of player he is.
The Stars’ next game is not until Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens at home. So Benn could still play in that game. But let’s go with the assumption that he will at least take that game off.
With the captain out, the Stars will need plenty of offensive help, and someone will need to step up. While it does not seem as though Benn has provided his usual offensive firepower this season, he has 34 points in 38 games, including 10 in his last eight.
To put things into perspective, Benn skates on the first line at even strength, the first unit on the power play, and the second unit on the penalty kill. So he’s a very crucial piece to the Stars.
If he does miss Wednesday’s game, Dallas will need someone to step up and fill some rather large shoes against one of the league’s best teams.
If the Stars do have Roussel back for the next game, there may be some line juggling to be done. Or Ruff might opt to put Sharp on the top line in Benn’s slot.
There are plenty of choices to be made, but one thing is for sure: the Dallas Stars will be put to the test as long as their captain is hindered. What a way to ring in the new year.
