Kari Lehtonen is hurt yet again (he’s day-to-day with a lower-body injury), so the Dallas Stars recalled Cristopher Nilstorp to pair with Richard Bachman for however long the Finnish workhorse is out.
The Stars surprised some by making Nilstorp (pictured dramatically) the team’s backup instead of Bachman earlier in the season, but the two have produced similar results.
By that we mean that there’s usually a significant drop-off between Lehtonen and whoever else takes over in net. For a team that at least placed itself back into the playoff discussion - even with long odds - losing their 29-year-old workhorse even for a few games could be fatal for those dreams.
Then again, many counted the Stars out of the running when they traded Jaromir Jagr and Derek Roy, so we shall see.