On a day where Nazem Kadri’s two-game banishment made headlines, another disciplinary issue flew under the radar -- Dallas forward Cody Eakin, who was healthy scratched in Philly yesterday for what the club called a “team discipline decision.”
It was a quiet development, to say the least. The scratch barely registered a blip on the radar and, following the game, head coach Lindy Ruff didn’t offer any comment or explanation regarding what led to his decision.
On Wednesday, though, Stars Inside Edge reported the punishment might extend to Thursday’s game in Carolina:John Klingberg (upper body), Jason Demers (illness) and Cody Eakin (team discipline) all are game-time decisions for tomorrow, Stars say.
— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) March 11, 2015
Nobody’s quite sure what to make of this situation. Eakin has been a lineup fixture since coming over from Washington three years ago, and the healthy scratch versus Philly marked just the fifth game he’s missed during his time as a Star.
As for his ice time... well, it’s been all over the place lately. Eakin received over 20 minutes in a 4-3 shootout win over Florida last week but, two games prior, was held to one of his lowest totals of the year -- just 14:31 -- in a 3-1 loss to Anaheim.
Still only 23 years old, Eakin sits tied for fifth on the team in goals (with 15) and seventh in points, with 30.