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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Patrik Nemeth Hopes to Return for Stanley Cup Playoffs

That game last night really could have used some Patrik Nemeth, eh? A large, steady defender who could turn the puck back out of the zone is just what games against teams like the Kings call for.

But of course, the Stars didn’t have Nemeth, although Gonchar did make his return. However, there is just the tiniest bit of hope that Dallas may see him again this season as he recovers from his ghastly skate-cut to the wrist. He spoke to a wonderful Swedish website with lots of umlauts, and there are some details there that at least show that things didn’t go as badly as they could have.

When the Philadelphia Flyers‘ R.J. Umberger’s skate hit Nemeth’s wrist, at first he didn’t think anything was wrong, comparing it to a slap on the arm. Only when Nemeth looked down and saw that he was bleeding did he head back to the bench, and when he got there, the Dallas Stars’ trainers went to work.

Here’s Nemeth, courtesy of Google Translate and HockeySverige.se:

“First, it was very stressful because they do not know how much it was bleeding. When they looked at the wound did they not think I would see it when they realized how big and deep it was.
The doctors were very concentrated, you could say. Normally, they usually say that it is quiet and no danger, but now it was noticed that there was little serious.”

Concretely, what damage did you get in your wrist?
“The tendons to all five fingers are. I do not remember how many muscles that were off, but it was very many, anyway. In addition, the wound was down to bone, so one can say it was deep.
I even got a little damage to the median nerve, but there should not be any danger now. The damage still feels in the fingers, but it’s quiet and you said it would be no but it. There I had a very lucky that the skate does not cut off the nerve or pulled off a big vein.

I hope to be back in March.” [HockeySverige.se]

While March is about five months later than the Stars really would have liked to see #37 back on the ice, there’s no question that this is relatively good news for Nemeth. From what else I could divine in that article, Nemeth actually lost feeling in his hand for a little while after the cut, and he’s still unable to tie his shoes. If he can heal up and head back to Dallas by the end of the season, that would be fabulous.

Hope to see you soon, Nemeth. You are missed.

* * * * *

Here’s something better than that game and a Wednesday: Top 10 Cutest Kittens on YouTube.

Why would you want to read the recap? You don’t want to read the recap. Here is the recap. [Stars]

Instead, you’d probably prefer to read Mike Heika’s thoughts on what happens after the pretty part of a supernova is done. A black hole is kind of like a shorthanded goal, if you think about it. [DMN]

And if that wasn’t enough Heika for you (because is it ever?), check out the chat he did yesterday. Fix the Stars with words! [DMN]

Here is one of the more cathartic Stars pieces you’ll read: Gavin Cleaver checks in with the Stars and discovers that special visceral reaction human beings have to Corey Perry. Also keep an eye out for the “This Week in Stars Hockey” bit at the end if you’re looking for a glum nod of assent. [Dallas Observer]

Even Jack Campbell admits that he was drafted pretty high for a goalie in this great feature from the AHL’s website. [theAHL.com]

The Canucks recalled well-known draftee Bo Horvat for their game against Colorado last night. They won, he did not score. There’s your big scoop, you rabid readers, you. [Nucks Misconduct]

Alex Ovechkin is now the Capitals‘ all-time scoring leader. This video proves it. [Monumental Network]

Down Goes Brown: History Edition took a look at the oddities of the NHL draft in the 1970s. This is some seriously clown-shoes stuff right here, like how the ’74 Canadiens finished with 99 points, yet still have five of the top 15 draft picks that summer. [Grantland]

James Mirtle has a good “By the Numbers” piece up that includes details about why it’s generally not wise to play your goalie two nights in a row. Not that we’d ever see that happen, but, you know, just on the off chance that it did… [Globe and Mail]

You could read about the longest shutout streak in the NHL, or you could just look at the picture atop this article for ten minutes. Win/win, really. [THN]

Have you heard of Vladimir Tarasenko? Turns out he’s still quite good:

Talking Points