The Dallas Stars will officially be without winger Evgenii Dadonov as they try to stave off a sweep Thursday, head coach Peter DeBoer confirmed to reporters.
Luckily, the team will avoid a third absence in addition to Dadonov and suspended captain Jamie Benn. Joe Pavelski was also absent from Thursday morning’s skate, but DeBoer said it was for maintenance reasons only.
Wednesday, DeBoer said Dadonov’s status for Game 4 was doubtful. Dadonov left Dallas’ Game 3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights after colliding with teammate Roope Hintz. He sustained a lower-body injury on the play.
Without Dadonov in the fold, it’s expected both Joel Kiviranta and Fredrik Olofsson will draw into the lineup as the team also deals with Benn’s absence. It would be Olofsson’s playoff debut, so it’s a possibility defenseman Colin Miller draws into the lineup instead, and the Stars only ice 11 forwards.
Dadonov has been as effective as hoped for since Dallas acquired him from the Montreal Canadiens late in the season. The 34-year-old veteran has 10 points in 16 games, tied for sixth on the team in scoring with defenseman Miro Heiskanen. He also notched 15 points in 23 regular-season games down the stretch with Dallas.
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