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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Twists and Turns

Rick Bowness was pulled from last night’s game after testing positive for COVID-19, but the team hopes it’s a false positive. Plus, Vancouver’s own COVID-19 struggles, Jack Campbell has found his footing, and more.

A bombshell dropped during last night’s Dallas Stars game when it was revealed that head coach Rick Bowness would not be returning to the game due to failing COVID-19 protocol.

However, in a post-game press conference, General Manager Jim Nill expressed his hope that the test is a false positive, similar to goaltender Anton Khudobin’s recent test:

“We’re very comfortable,” Nill said. “Rick has no symptoms at all. He’s been vaccinated... We think it’s a false positive, but protocol, once it is flagged, there are different levels with the PCR testing. There are different levels of the infection rate. He was a very low grade, but it’s still positive, and so out of safety concerns, he was pulled.”

Taking over for Bowness mid-game was assistant coach John Stevens. Credit to the Stars for adjusting well, though this was just the latest twist for the team in the past year and a half:

“It’s nothing new to us,” said [Jamie] Benn. “We dealt with it last year, we’re dealing with it again this year, and we’re just going to keep pushing forward.”

...

”If you were around in the bubble, you saw this team and what they were faced with and how they handled it. We didn’t make excuses. If something was going on that day, we dealt with it,” said Stevens.

You can read more from Mike Heika here.

Stars Stories

Here’s the full context of Jim Nill’s quotes last night:

And here’s John Stevens:

Even without the COVID-19 drama, there’s a lot to unpack from this weekend’s series against the Carolina Hurricanes:

Around the League

Elsewhere in the Central Division...

  • The Florida Panthers got a shutout of their own, defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0. [Litter Box Cats]
  • Meanwhile the Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings game had an even more lopsided score... with Detroit winning 5-1. [Winging it in Motown]/

Dallas isn’t the only team dealing with COVID-19 protocols — the Vancouver Canucks have had a massive outbreak, similar to that the Stars experienced during training camp:

Here’s an insightful piece regarding what it’s like to take over the coaching duties for a team... well, a team like the Buffalo Sabres.

The trade deadline is one week away. For many players, their lives are about to flip upside down:

Finally, here’s an in-depth piece on former Stars draft pick Jack Campbell that is well worth your time:

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