The Dallas Stars haven’t officially confirmed that first-line right winger Joe Pavelski will miss Wednesday’s Game 2 against the Minnesota Wild, but we can read between the lines. The Stars announced Wednesday morning that they recalled center Riley Tufte from AHL Texas. Tufte is likely coming up to replace Pavelski in the lineup after he suffered what appeared to be a head injury on a devastating hit from Wild defenseman Matt Dumba in Game 1 Monday.
Dumba caught Pavelski behind Minnesota’s net with a hit that bordered on late. Dumba was originally handed a five-minute major penalty for roughing, but it was reduced to a minor after a review. Dumba was not suspended by the NHL’s Department of Player safety for the hit on the grounds that it occurred within the acceptable threshold of 0.5 to 0.6 seconds after Pavelski played the puck and was thus not considered a late hit.
The Stars haven’t formally ruled Pavelski out, but coach Pete DeBoer indicated after Game 1 that he was “not confident” in having Pavelski for Game 2.
It’s a considerable blow for a Dallas team reeling after an overtime loss at home in Game 1. Pavelski had an assist in 10 minutes of action Monday and is a key offensive contributor for Dallas even at age 38, delivering 28 goals and 77 points in the regular season playing on the Stars’ dominant top line with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz.
Tufte, 25, was a first-round pick for Dallas, chosen 25th overall in 2016. He brings a massive body at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds. He has played 13 career NHL games, all over the past two seasons, but has not established himself as a regular. He has enjoyed the best season of his career in the AHL, tallying 19 goals and 35 points in 63 games for Texas in 2022-23.
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