While a week without Dallas Stars hockey can be sad for fans, it’s worth remembering that the players are human too and have earned a well-deserved break.
Some players have decided to take full advantage of the week off, such as John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, and Valeri Nichushkin, who all flew south for the winter:
Klingberg, Lindell and Nichushkin hadn’t initially planned to take the trip to the Bahamas together but after some coincidental planning and conversations between their girlfriends, a group was formed including the three couples as well as a few other Swedish players around the NHL.
Not everyone will be enjoying some time in the sun, though. Count both Jasons — Spezza and Dickinson — among those unhappy about the break:
“I prefer to have those [off] days in the schedule,” Spezza said. “I’ve never been a guy to just kind of take time away. I’ve always been one that kind of uses the breaks to feel better going into the next stretch.
…
“It’s also kind of a bad time where I’m trying to get back into game shape and all of a sudden, it’s ‘shut down and do nothing for a few days,’” Dickinson said. “You kind of lose that momentum, but at least everybody will be kind of in the same boat.”
You can read more from Saad Yousuf here.
Stars Stories
Hey, remember when bad goaltending might have been all that separated Dallas from being a potential Stanley Cup contender? Neither do I!
We’ve got another dynamic duo in Dallas. Both Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin are in the top 4 in the league in GAA. #GoStars pic.twitter.com/W3v0h7SWlH
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) January 22, 2019
Speaking of Ben Bishop…
You may have seen these guys roaming around AAC spreading the good word about Stars hockey. They call themselves, @BensBishops. pic.twitter.com/qAIvdpyP0W
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) January 22, 2019
The Texas Stars are still in the playoff hunt, but they’ve been stuck in a rut with a four-game losing streak: [NHL]
Around the League
The Edmonton Oilers might trade Jesse Puljujarvi, but will the return be worth it?
When an NHL team trades a player like Jesse Puljujarvi this early in his career, there are five ways it can turn out.@DownGoesBrown on what the Oilers can learn from history:https://t.co/HOaDcSlZKm
— The Athletic (@TheAthleticEDM) January 22, 2019
Of course, that might change now that Peter Chiarelli is no longer GM for the Oilers:
Peter Chiarelli is a dead man walking as the #Oilers limp into its all-star break (@SportsnetSpec) https://t.co/6Or7pbtfGQ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 23, 2019
While the Stars are feeling good about their goaltending duo, the San Jose Sharks netminders might be holding their team back: [The Hockey News]
I guess it’s goalie day. Here’s a good read on Robin Lehner and his success with the New York Islanders:
And the best player in the world of the week is … https://t.co/NjVghSDb3T
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) January 22, 2019
Second verse, same as the first: the Florida Panthers are hoping for another second-half surge to get them back into playoff contention. [NBC Sports]
Finally, could even more moves be on the way for the Carolina Hurricanes?
The Hurricanes have been busy over the past week, acquiring Niederreiter and locking up Teravainen. But Carolina’s work is far from over, writes @THNJaredClinton:https://t.co/cZbC9BDge4
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) January 23, 2019