The Dallas Stars will be without forward Tyler Seguin for Tuesday’s road game against the San Jose Sharks.
The forward returned to the lineup on March 20 against the Arizona Coyotes after missing nearly a month with an injury. Head coach Pete DeBoer clarified that his absence was due to load management, not re-injury.
“Just being safe with it,” DeBoer told the media Tuesday. “He didn’t have a setback or anything, and he obviously finished last game, but we don’t want to overtax it — particularly this time of year.”
Since returning to the lineup, Seguin has tallied four points in three games, all coming in two matchups with the Coyotes. With just ten games remaining in the regular season and the playoffs well within sight for a third straight year, the team may be better served resting him against a less formidable opponent.
However, Dallas needs to be careful not to underestimate the Sharks, who, despite being in last place in the NHL, have pushed the Stars to overtime twice this season.
Ty Dellandrea will take Seguin’s place in the lineup.
Dellandrea, a first-round draft pick in 2018, has appeared in 40 games this season with nine points (two goals and seven assists).
“It’s a really great opportunity,” DeBoer explained. “I think Ty had a really tough first half. I thought he came back from the All-Star break and has looked more like himself. He kind of reset, played some really good hockey for us, and then we obviously have gotten some numbers back and people back after the trade deadline. So he’s in a little bit of a logjam, but his game is in a much better place than it was in the first half of the year, and he’s just got to make sure, when he comes in, he continues to perform at that level.”
The Stars (44-19-9) and Sharks (16-46-8) will drop the puck at 9:30 p.m. CT as Dallas continues a four-game West Coast road trip.
Dallas enters the season’s final 10-game stretch tied with the Colorado Avalanche for first place in the Central Division, one point behind the Vancouver Canucks for first place in the Western Conference.
“You really see a shift in the last probably eight to 10 games maybe, and it just keeps building,” Dellandrea said. “A lot of excitement towards the playoffs for this group, and we’re trying to get into our playoff habits early.”
