The Dallas Stars once again lost to the Calgary Flames (this time 4-3) on Sunday, and they also lost defenseman Trevor Daley to an upper-body injury, according to NHL.com.
It’s not clear how bad the issue is, but it was troubling enough to keep him off the ice in the third period.
Perhaps the outcome might have been a little different if Daley, 29, was available for the full game. The Stars carried a 3-1 lead into the final frame only to see the game slip away 4-3 in regulation. The Flames also beat Richard Bachman and the Stars on Wednesday by a score of 7-4.
Losing Daley wouldn’t have the obvious impact of the Stars’ other noteworthy sidelined players Kari Lehtonen (groin) and Ray Whitney (foot), but the blueliner tends to log between 21 and 22 minutes per night.
He hasn’t been the offensive threat that the Stars envisioned (especially considering his occasionally flashes of brilliance with the puck), but he’s one of the steadier guys on a group that’s pretty inexperienced overall.