Stars veteran centre Mike Ribeiro was placed on IR today after missing 3 games with a knee injury sustained in a game against the Oilers. Despite Glen Gulutzan saying Mike wanted to put a cast on and play through the pain, concern has grown and it has now been announced that he won’t be back before the All-Star break at the end of this month. Ribeiros injury has come at a very bad time as he had just started playing his best hockey of the season after a very slow start.
With Ribeiro injured, it came as very bad news when Jamie Benn was sent to hospital to have a hernia operation. Benn is seen as Dallas’ best forward and he will definitely be sorely missed for the 2 weeks that he will be out for. The young Canadian, who will be a 2012 All-Star, currently tops the Stars in scoring with 13 goals and 42 points. Benn is partnered with Loui Eriksson and Michael Ryder to form the Stars’ first line, which has to be one of the best in the NHL.
So, with 2 big injuries what now for the Stars? Left Winger Francis Wathier has been the only forward to be called into the team. According to Mike Heika of the Dallas morning news, the lines for tonight’s game are as follows:
Morrow – Wandell – Eriksson
Nystrom – Fiddler – Ryder
Ott – Burish – Dvorak
Wathier – Dowell – Petersen
Grossman – Daley
Souray – Robidas
Fistric – Goligoski
This point of the season is where the heat starts to turn up a bit. Putting together a good winning streak can stand you in great stead going into the back end of the season and solidifying a playoff spot. For me, the Stars season is make or break right now. If they can win 50% of their games without Benn and Ribeiro, that will be a very good record. However, if they can’t function without them and fall into a losing streak, their playoff hopes could vanish very quickly.
The Stars face a tough test tonight as they travel to St Louis to take on a high-flying Blues team. Tonight’s performance will provide a good indication of what is to come for Dallas without the services of Jamie Benn and Mike Ribeiro.
