Earlier this month, when center Joe Pavelski was stalking his 1,000th career point, Stars teammates shared everything that made him invaluable on the ice.
As glowing as those testimonies were, the Stars may receive a more complete if unplanned and unwanted lesson on Pavelski’s value.
Already down 1-0 in the series to the Minnesota Wild after losing the opener 3-2 in double overtime, Pavelski’s status remains highly uncertain. He took a high, hard hit from Wild defenseman Matt Dumba midway through the second period. A woozy Pavelski was helped from the ice and did not return.
Given that it’s the playoffs and injuries are treated like state secrets, Stars coach Pete DeBoer was vague about Pavelski.
“I haven’t talked to him this [Tuesday],” DeBoer said. “Trainers and some of the players had contact with him and [he] seems OK, but we left him at home.”
So even though the Stars didn’t skate, they were reluctant to push him too hard.
DeBoer also declined to say if Pavelski was in concussion protocol.
If Pavelski is out for any sustained length of time, the Stars will have to adjust. Pavelski had formed a formidable No. 1 line with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz while also playing on the top power-play unit.
“We’re gonna look at all those options in line combinations,” DeBoer said. “We didn’t score a five-on-five goal [Monday] night, so that’s a little bit of a concern. We’ll come up with some combinations that hopefully can solve that problem.”
Recovery time: Both teams face a fairly quick turnaround time after the double-overtime game.
The load for some players was heavy in a game that lasted about four hours, 10 minutes. Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen played a game-high 41:42 in the game.
“You kind of take it for granted. You get used to it,” DeBoer said. “What did he play 40 last night? He walks in today and looks like he’s ready to play another 40 tonight if he had to. He’s just one of those special athletes. I’ve had a few of them over my career. But those guys are rare.”
Twitter: @ChuckCarltonDMN
