Here’s some Saturday afternoon intrigue for you.
The Dallas Stars sent defenseman Jamie Oleksiak down to the AHL in order to ostensibly get some increased minutes and experience in two games over the weekend for the Texas Stars. Consequently, this left Dallas with just six “healthy” defensemen, which isn’t that big an issue considering how quickly a player can get to Dallas from Cedar Park.
With three full days off between games, veteran defenseman Alex Goligoski practiced just once and then missed morning skate today ahead of tonight’s matchup against the New Jersey Devils. Coach Lindy Ruff stated that Goligoski would play, however, and that his minutes would be determined by his pain level.
Which is…interesting.
At the same time, Texas Stars coach Derek Laxdal hinted that a callup could be coming because of his proposed defensive pairings for tonight’s game in Cedar Park.
Now, just a few hours before both the Texas and Dallas Stars are set to play their respective games — Jamie Oleksiak has been recalled.
It’s clear that the injury to Goligoski has them worried he might not even been able to play at all tonight, and the guess is that Oleksiak may actually be on the ice tonight in Dallas depending on how Goligoski feels after warmups. That he was recalled now — rather than tomorrow — shows that this most likely a “just-in-case” to give the Stars options should Goligoski not be able to play.
Warmups are in less than 2 hours. Let’s hope that Oleksiak was well on his way up I-35 before the recall occurred.