Tyler Seguin made his much-anticipated return to the Dallas Stars on Monday after missing the first 51 games of the season following offseason hip surgery for a torn labrum.
It didn’t take him long to contribute for a Stars team trying to keep its playoff hopes alive.
In a game against the Panthers during which the Stars were previously trailing 4-2, Seguin made the game-tying goal in the third period in his first game since Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Now THAT'S how you return in style, @tseguinofficial! 😤 #GoStars
— SportsDay Stars (@dmn_stars) May 4, 2021
(via @DallasStars) pic.twitter.com/HvrNsJ21JB
The Stars’ ended up falling to the Panthers 5-4, but Seguin’s overtime-forcing goal at least secured Dallas a point.
Seguin’s way back to the Stars’ roster has been slow. He skated with Dallas for the first time all year on April 15. At the time, head coach Rick Bowness said of the center: “We need to get him back as quick as we possibly can. We won’t put him back until we know he’s ready, but this is a big step forward in getting him ready to play.”
Nearly a week later, on April 23, Bowness said they weren’t going to rush Seguin’s return, but the center was “anxious to play, there’s no question.”
He posted a video on Twitter chronicling his journey back to playing Monday afternoon.