Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer confirmed that center Matt Duchene will miss Monday’s game against the Boston Bruins and is day-to-day with an injury.
Duchene, 32, suffered the injury late in the second period of Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks when was hit hard by Ian Cole as the Canucks defenseman was pinching when the Stars were starting to transition out of their own zone. Mason Marchment came to the defense of Duchene, and fought Cole immediately after the hit. Duchene finished the game with two shots on goal in 12:56 of ice time as the Stars were shut out by the Canucks 2-0.
Duchene was off to a slow start to the season with his new team, but had points in five straight games before Saturday, giving him two goals, three assists and five points in 10 games. He’s been one of the more consistent drivers of offense in the league, ranking 70th in the league in 5v5 expected goals for per 60 among forwards with 2500 minutes of ice time since 2020, which helps make up for the fact that he has the 69th worst 5v5 expected goals against per 60 in that same span.
Duchene was a former third overall pick of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2009 NHL Draft, and has played for the Avs, Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, and the Stars over the course of his now 15-season career. He’s currently on a one-year, $3 million contract, one he signed with the Stars in the 2023 offseason after he was bought out by the Predators.
DeBoer also announced center Radek Faksa is close to returning from his injury, but won’t be playing on Monday either. The Stars will be going with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen for Monday’s game, so Joel Hanley will make his season debut. He had two assists in 26 games for the Stars in 2022-23.
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