Dallas Stars Daily Links: Stephen Johns Opens Up About His Injury

Dallas Stars fans have missed Stephen Johns, but maybe not as much as Johns has missed playing hockey.

The young defender has yet to make his season debut as post-traumatic headaches keep him on the injured reserved list. Coping with the pain, and its consequences, has been an uphill battle – and he opened up about it to Stars writer Mark Stepneski in a new interview:

“It’s been more mental. It’s hard to be in a good mood when you have a headache all the time, and that’s taken the biggest toll,” Johns said. “Not being able to do what I’ve done my whole life and that’s play hockey. The most frustrating part is not being able to do anything.

”I am looking forward to better days.”

Johns told Stepneski that “it’s pretty impossible to describe” the day-to-day difficulties involved in trying to recover:

“I am still working towards getting better,” Johns said. “There is still no timeline set. I am just taking it day by day.”

Mark has more, including an update on Martin Hanzal’s timeline for return and some lineup projections for the team’s first road trip. [Stars Inside Edge]

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Stars Stories

The Stars (3-1-0) face the Ottawa Senators (2-2-1) at 6:30 p.m. Central time tonight. Watch this space for your pregame reading needs.

Razor had fun with Saturday night’s win over the Anaheim Ducks.

Too long, didn’t watch?

It was Alexander Radulov’s turn to hit a milestone on Saturday night:

Around the League(s)

This weekend, in #Death

• Devan Dubnyk made 52 saves, but the Minnesota Wild were outshot two to one and lost a squeaker in overtime to the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-4. [Hockey Wilderness]
• Filip Forsberg scored twice as the Nashville Predators got their mojo on with a 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders. [On The Forecheck]
• Nick Schmaltz won the battle of the brothers over Jordan Schmaltz as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-3 in a history-making fifth OT game in a row. [Second City Hockey]
• The Colorado Avalanche blew a two-goal lead and dropped one to the Calgary Flames 3-2; Johnny Gaudreau grabbed the GWG in overtime. [Mile High Hockey]
• The Blues continued to struggle with a 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. [St. Louis Game Time]
• And the Winnipeg Jets defended Central honor and handed the Canes their first regulation loss of the season, 3-1. [Canes Country]

Sportsnet appears to be upping its Twitter game:

This year’s model, Rasmus Dahlin, broke his duck during a 3-0 Buffalo Sabres win over the Arizona Coyotes.

Roberto Luongo is still on IR, but it couldn’t stop the Florida Panthers and the visiting Vancouver Canucks from honoring him this weekend.

Antoine Roussel scored in the Canucks’ victory, but rookie sensation Elias Pettersson went to the locker room after a hit that has earned Mike Matheson an appointment with DoPS.

If the phrase “World Cup of Hockey” no longer makes you break out in hives, take a look at this fantasy roster and be dazzled.

Elsewhere, Sam McCaig has worked out the national makeup of the NHL, country by country.

“I’m proof that there’s nothing to be afraid of.” Corey Hirsch and The Players’ Tribune posted this epilogue to his story of battling OCD in honor of World Mental Health Day.

Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park

The Texas Stars suffered their first regulation loss of the season to the Rockford IceHogs.

Finally

White after Labor Day? Rads upends all the rules. Enjoy.