Friday night turned out to be a great time for Brett Ritchie to come visiting from Cedar Park. The big Texas Stars power forward demonstrated yet again why he’s consistently named among the Dallas Stars‘ best prospects.
MASSIVE hit by #Stars‘ Brett Ritchie… and then he beats down Larsson, to finish the job.#WFAAStars #NHL #Devils pic.twitter.com/YH8HT9taFw
— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) March 5, 2016
This scrap was just a fun-size taster, as it turned out.
Brett Ritchie has been credited with a game-high six hits.
— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) March 5, 2016
Yet for all his flair on the ice, Ritchie is “philosophical” about the injury that turned his season upside down back in September, writes Mike Heika:
“I just accepted it and tried to make myself better because of it,” Ritchie said. “That kind of stuff happens to most guys at some point in their careers. Maybe you could say that was a little bit of bad timing for me, but everything happens for a reason. I knew if I played well down there I would get my shot up here again. I am still young, it’s not a huge deal.”
Read the story at The Dallas Morning News. [SportsDayDFW]
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As always, DBD will have plenty of coverage of the Stars vs. the Ottawa Senators throughout the day – and as always Mark Stepneski has a first look. [Stars Inside Edge]
John Klingberg didn’t practice yesterday and was listed as day-to-day after “inconclusive” tests regarding his injury from Friday night’s win over the New Jersey Devils. [Dallas Stars]
And Devils goalie Cory Schneider will miss today’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins after suffering his own injuries against the Stars. [Sportsnet]
Want to watch team coverage offline and time-shifted? The Stars have an app for that.
This app is more than just stats & scores. Get your #Stars news with the #StarsDeskSite!
GET:https://t.co/mupE5vJXC1 pic.twitter.com/EgxncaHkyn— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) March 5, 2016
Two points on his 21st birthday, and two points in the league standings, earned Valeri Nichushkin the No. 2 position among Puck Daddy’s 3 Stars.
Friday’s #NHL 3 Stars: Rangers down Capitals; Saad, Klingberg, Schneider injured. https://t.co/u8DzNJvx5K pic.twitter.com/Mf358AcpMo
— Yahoo Sports NHL (@YahooSportsNHL) March 5, 2016
Pevs Protects Night in Dallas is coming up on Saturday, March 12, don’t forget it. Arrive by 6:30 p.m. for the Rich Peverley Q&A on Victory Plaza. Raptor Jesus has also posted a peek at the merch. [Dallas Stars]
One week until Pevs Protects night in Dallas. Getting super excited! Here’s a sneak peak at some swag. pic.twitter.com/ueXBX3XREK
— Rich Peverley (@RichPeverley) March 5, 2016
Last night, in #MurderDeathKill 2016:
- Mark Scheifele got his first NHL hat trick to power the Winnipeg Jets past the Montreal Canadiens 4-2. [WRAL]
- The Minnesota Wild kept their playoff hopes alive by defeating the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 with the help of shootout goals from Jason Pominville and Charlie Coyle (and 30 saves from Devan Dubnyk). [NBC Sports]
- Shea Weber is closing in on yet another Nashville Predators record, tying Martin Erat for second in all-time goals scored as the Perds thrashed the Colorado Avalanche 5-2. [The Tennessean]
Tonight’s action:
- Chicago Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings, 4 p.m. Central time
- Jets vs. Edmonton Oilers, 6 p.m. Central time
- St. Louis Blues at Wild, 7 p.m. Central time
Hall of Famer Chris Pronger knows a few things about winning international tournaments. He shared four of them with Mike Brophy. [The Hockey News]
Meanwhile, fellow HOF’er Pat LaFontaine discussed the status of a proposal that the NHL raise the draft age to 19. [ESPN]
From #HotlineKling to Shayne Gostisbehere, with a little Corey Perry thrown in, Allan Muir picks his 10 most glaring omissions from the preliminary World Cup of Hockey rosters. [Sports Illustrated]
Speaking of Perry, a late hit by Kyle Clifford on the ginger hate magnet set off a major line brawl involving Luke Schenn, Kevin Bieksa, Andy Andreoff and (especially) Rickard Rakell and Kris Versteeg during the Anaheim Ducks’ 3-2 victory over highway rivals the Los Angeles Kings. [CBS Sports]
And Edmonton/Team North America GM Peter Chiarelli‘s comment about the Auston Matthews snub is a leading cause of side-eye in the world today (and brought at least one DBD wag to wonder if Pete just wants to make sure this year’s ultra-prospect doesn’t get injured before the Oilers get a chance to draft him). [National Post]
Also in the Post, Phil Kessel speaks candidly about his fellow former Leaf, Dion Phaneuf. [National Post]
Jaromir Jagr has given up coffee for Lent. It’s kind of a big deal, as it turns out.
Jaromir Jagr was drinking 10 (!) cups of coffee per day before giving it up for Lent. https://t.co/bTbazXt1jR pic.twitter.com/KLrVbdv1sN
— SB Nation (@SBNation) March 5, 2016
Should Henrik Lundqvist have been penalized for flipping over his own net during the Rangers’ 4-1 loss to the Penguins on Thursday? Even his fellow goaltenders are split over that decision. [AP/U.S. News & World Report]
Super-rookie Jack Eichel credits a big part of his great start with the Buffalo Sabres to the comforts of home – as provided by teammate Matt Moulson and his family. [The Hockey News]
Vancouver Canucks president Trevor Linden is once again in the position of denying the team’s ownership is meddling in its hockey operations. [NBC Pro Hockey Talk]
Look for an official announcement today regarding the Jets, the Oilers and the Heritage Classic. [TSN]
Finally: The Stars didn’t just win the game Friday night – they helped a guy propose to his Ice Girl sweetheart during intermission. Now the happy couple has this video to commemorate it. Enjoy.