On Monday the Dallas Stars were missing a number of notable players during practice, with Tyler Seguin (illness) along with Jamie Benn and Vern Fiddler (injuries) all looking likely to be questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators. With Erik Cole having missed Saturday’s game against Colorado with an illness it makes sense another would bite the dust, although the injures to Benn and Fiddler came as a bit of a surprise.
On Tuesday there was no sign or indication of a callup from the Texas Stars, however, it seemed the prognosis for tonight’s roster wasn’t as bad as we might have thought.
“They all skated, they all seemed to be doing a lot better,” said coach Lindy Ruff on Tuesday, after Benn, Seguin and Fiddler all took part in morning skate. “We’ll dress an extra guy in warmups to make sure everyone is a full-go. We’ve got a couple that are ready to go and one that is still doubtful.”
No indications who that “doubtful” player might be, but lines on Tuesday were as follows:
Benn – Seguin – Ritchie
Cole – Spezza – Hemsky
Roussel – Eakin – Garbutt
Horcoff – Fiddler – Sceviour/Moen
Ruff has stuck with these essential lines for the better part of the last month, and seems to have put the “Ruffler” away. For now.
Defense remains the same as against Colorado as well, with Jamie Oleksiak the likely scratch as David Schlemko remains on the second pairing:
Goligoski – Klingberg
Schlemko – Daley
Benn – Demers
Kari Lehtonen appears to be in net against Ottawa tonight.