Stars Winning Despite Further Injuries

Well, finally I get a chance to sit down and get a few thoughts in about the Stars and other hockey matters. So sorry for the delay in this post - I expected to have it up yesterday.

The Stars finished December strongly, and have looked great as of late. They went 8-4-1 in December and are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. While that might not turn heads around the league yet, it certainly is an improvement over October and November. The top performers continue to be the top performers - great, reliable play from Mike Modano, Mike Ribeiro and Brad Richards has helped on a regular basis, and strong contributions from young players James Neal & Loui Erikkson has helped. The Stars will play Detroit twice in the next week, so they are hoping their strong play of late can carry on into those matches, at least.

Speaking of Neal, the youngster has pulled into a tie for the league lead in goals by rookies this season. We'll almost certainly see Neal at the end of this month in Montreal for the "Young Stars Game" on January 24th, the night before the All Star Game. I knew Neal had a bright future with the club, just from seeing him skate at the last couple of camps, but it was great to see him seize the opportunity he got this season and run with it.

The Stars have been successful recently, even though they continue to be a banged-up bunch. Landon Wilson is the latest addition to the scratch list. Wilson sustained a rib injury in the game against Edmonton on Saturday, and is currently listed as day-to-day. The Stars hope to get more information about his injury tomorrow. Fabian Brunnstrom has a high-ankle sprain, and will be out for at least the next couple of games. The team hopes he'll be ready in about 7-10 days, but because that kind of injury can be hard to diagnose and even harder to mend, it could be longer. There is good news in that Joel Lundqvist is skating again, and may be back as early as Thursday against the Red Wings. This should limit any call-ups the Stars may need to make this week.

As banged up as they've been this season, and as much as they've struggled, do you think there will be pressure for the Stars to make a deal before the trade deadline this season? Or will the problems assimilating Sean Avery into the group this year still be too strong in everyone's mind for management to make a trade?

Stars Coming Home; Will Avery Join Them?

It was a disappointing last night for Stars fans. I knew going into the game it was going to be tough; it was the second game in as many nights for the Stars, all on the road. In addition, they're embroiled in a controversy that has received a lot of press and put them under the microscope.

What I wasn't expecting last night, though, was a strong game out of #9. Mike Modano almost single-handedly brought the Stars back into the game. Down 3-0 in the third period, Mo notched two goals, and had the Stars within one in the final minutes of the game. But, with Turco on the bench, and the extra skater in, Matt Niskanen made a poor decision with the puck (he had a few last night, but this one couldn't be covered up), and the Oilers tallied an easy open-net goal. They put an extra nail in a coffin that was already well sealed seconds later. A defensive breakdown by Fabian Brunnstrom left an Oiler unchecked in front of the net, and a redirection gave us the final score of 5-2.

New Stars forward Mark Parrish was hit in the face with a puck last night and didn't return to the game after the injury. That could cost the Stars another forward. It's been a long time since I've seen the team this depleted by injuries. You hate to use that as an excuse, but it's hard not to offer it up as an explanation for the 9-12-2-2 record.

But, that said, the Stars are returning home. They get to play in front of their home crowd, which all teams love to do, and hopefully they can pull some inspiration from that. The next two games are against opponents that have also struggled this season, and are very winnable. The third game is against the hated Red Wings, and that will be a difficult one to win. But if the Stars can get another two wins under their belts, and are winners of four of the last five games they've played going into the Detroit tilt? Who knows...

***

Sean Avery and Stars Co-GM Brett Hull are meeting with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in New York this morning to determine what further punishment will be doled out for Avery's comments on Tuesday. But, regardless of what fines and suspensions are given out by the league, Avery is going to have to face his team when he comes back to Dallas. And, from the reactions they've had the last couple of days, that may be the biggest barrier to him returning to the Stars lineup any time soon.

Stars Head Coach Dave Tippett has his finger on the pulse of the team better than anyone else, outside of the players, and had this to say:

"From a coach's standpoint, I try to build a team that has an atmosphere where players care about each other and play with each other and play with continuity, and I find it hard to believe that Sean could come back in that dressing room and we could find that continuity again,"

Tippett had been talking to the media just minutes before Avery's off-color remarks, and had been defending him. For Tippett, the biggest insult wasn't the words Avery made - it was the pre-meditation of the statements, and the way he went out of his way to break a promise he gave the coach. Tippett said:

"It's frustrating for me to go out and defend the guy. It's disappointing, because in the morning with all the stuff going on in the media, I approached Sean and asked him if he was going to talk to media; he told me, no. He talked to our PR people and he told them, no, he wasn't going to talk to the media ... and to have a calculated response like that ... it was a calculated statement for what I feel was personal gain."

Many players have come out and denounced Avery's words as well. But it runs deeper than this incident, and that is becoming more and more obvious. The words that have been used - "unacceptable", "disappointing", "embarrassment", etc. - go to describe the team's feelings about Avery himself, and not just his stupid remarks. Avery may be back in town with the team on Friday, but I have a feeling it will be some time before we see Sean Avery in a Stars jersey again - if we do at all.

Stars Down Flames, Look Forward

The Dallas Stars went into Calgary, Alberta, last night, and after Sean Avery took himself out of games for the forseeable future, still had to face a hot Calgary team on the ice. The 3-2 victory over the Flames was one of the best wins for the club so far this year, and has fans all over hoping that this is the start of something good. With the victory on Sunday over the Oilers, it was the first back-to-back regular-season wins for the Stars since February of this year.

The Stars have a tough stretch ahead of them to keep the momentum going. They will immediately take the ice again tonight for another match against Edmonton, and then return home for a 3-game stand with the Avalanche, Coyotes & Red Wings. And while many people may argue that schedule isn't filled with the conference's top competitors (excepting the Red Wings, of course), the Stars are still playing with a very depleted roster, and even games that might once have been forgone conclusions will be closely contested.

And, the Avs may be starting to come together this season. After a host of setbacks (injuries, poor performances), similar to those of the Stars, Colorado is beginning to look pretty dangerous. They've won their last two games and look more like the team they were forcasted to be this season.

To quickly return to the Sean Avery issue - and I won't stay here long - I'm interested in hearing what you all might think about how his role with the Stars in the future will be effected. Eklund (that anonymous hockey blogger) - has told me he believes this to be the ticket for Sean Avery out of Dallas. While I don't know that I agree 100%, I can't see how the rest of the team can welcome him fully back into the fold, when they didn't seem to be very happy with him before the comments. Mike Modano's response is also interesting:

"It's unacceptable. Our perception around the league has been tarnished a bit. Our attitude with the refs has been rough this year. We don’t get the benefit of doubt because we're very vocal in those areas. In the past, we've been a quiet, confident group, and we simply need to get back to that.''

Sean Avery has a guaranteed contract in Dallas, which limits how the Stars can react to this kind of situation. But, they still have the ability to place him on Waivers or trade him, if another team is willing to take this mess on. In a response about Avery's return to the team, if that happens, Modano hinted that it might not be an easy thing:

It's going to take some time. It certainly will be a situation we'll have to address when that time comes ... if it does.

I know Mo wasn't 100% comfortable with the "C" on his chest, but those are the kind of quotes that come from a good captain. And I think the Stars should let him take this team again, and make it official. I also believe that Mark Parrish would make a nice "A" alternate as well to take Modano's place.