The Dallas Stars have seven games left in the regular season. All seven of those will be away games, making this the longest road trip of the season for Dallas and third longest in the NHL overall:
“We have to make the best of it,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said. “We know what’s coming. We know we’re going to spend a lot of time next week in our hotel rooms. There’s nothing we can do about that.”
While seven games is a long time, that wouldn’t be too bad in a regular season. But with COVID-19 restrictions still in place across the nation, players will mostly be stuck inside their hotel rooms unless they’re at the arenas playing:
“It’s been tough, to be honest,” Blake Comeau said. “I think every team is probably feeling it. You get to the hotel and you’re basically just stuck in the hotel until you play. There’s some long days, some long trips. I think we’ve done a pretty good job of adapting to it.”
You can read more from Matthew DeFranks here.
Stars Stories
One thing that might help with the long road trip? Defensive depth:
“With this core, it’s the backbone of our team.”
One of the deepest d-corps in the league will be a focal point during the final seven games of the regular season.#GoStars https://t.co/EzaKKbSAk2
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) April 28, 2021
With Tyler Seguin close to returning, Saad Yousuf explores the best way to incorporate him into the lineup:
The Stars say Tyler Seguin is getting close to returning to the lineup. Whenever he’s ready to do so, where does he slide in? Let’s take a look!
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) April 29, 2021
If you have five minutes…
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗲: Denis Gurianov
It didn’t take long for the nickname “Denis Scorianov” to catch on. See how the 1st-round pick burst onto the scene through proper development. @BMOHarrisBank | #GoStars pic.twitter.com/SBAJtK6YJ7
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) April 28, 2021
Around the League
The answer to the following question is obviously ‘yes’, but Sean Shapiro breaks down exactly why it’s ‘yes’:
Is NHL’s ESPN-Turner partnership good for hockey? League executives weigh in on financials, the new partners, the term of the deal, and other key facets of the new partnership https://t.co/hJms9B5D46
— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) April 28, 2021
Coaches really do have a lot of analytics at their disposal:
NHL showed me the iPad app that coaches use during games, and it was mind-blowing.
I asked @penguins coach (and analytics skeptic) Mike Sullivan to explain how they use the app to make decisions on workload, face-offs and in-game adjustments. (ESPN+)https://t.co/Qt4yWZLbll
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) April 29, 2021
Jonathan Drouin has taken a step away from hockey due to personal reasons:
Forward Jonathan Drouin will take an indefinite leave of absence from the team for personal reasons.
He was placed on long-term injured reserve by the club. We ask everyone to respect his privacy. pic.twitter.com/bfy5F7afY6
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 28, 2021
It’s awards season, with the NWHL already handing out their hardware:
After a dominant performance during her first full season in the league, @TheTorontoSix forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis has been named the @NWHL‘s 2021 MVP and Newcomer of the Year 🏆🏆
Find the full list of 2021 NWHL Awards winners here ⤵https://t.co/tCd8fmNHhv
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 29, 2021
Finally, here are some teams and players worth rooting for in the final weeks of the season (including the Stars):
New: Looking for something to root for down the stretch? From McDavid’s run to 100 to (finally) getting Leafs vs. Habs in the playoffs, I have a few ideas.https://t.co/n8Kie1fSGa
— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) April 29, 2021