The Dallas Stars will be without forward Antoine Roussel for up to eight weeks, according to a report released by Mark Stepneski on the teams website.
Roussel suffered a hand injury last night after blocking a shot from New York Islanders defenceman Johnny Boychuk in the first period. He left the game for further evaluation and did not return.
Dallas Stars Antoine Roussel Out 6-8 Weeks with Hand Injury
Dallas fell to the New York Islanders 5-4 after allowing four consecutive goals, blowing a promising 3-1 lead. The Stars season record fell to 25-29-10 with a loss last night.
Stars head coach Lindy Ruff portrayed his disappointment in a post-game interview. “It’s not good news. I don’t have a time frame but it’s going to be a while; in all likelihood the rest of the year. That hurt us.”
Antoine Roussel has recorded 27 points in 60 games this season, tallying 12 goals and 15 assists. He has been a part of many positive and negative performances this season, resulting in a below .500% record and measly point production. With playoff hopes slowly fading, losing Roussel may have put the finishing touch on Dallas’ below average campaign.
Antoine Roussel out 6-8 weeks with hand injury, so he is out for season it appears.
— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) March 3, 2017
Falling Stars in Dallas
As if his injury wasn’t enough, the Stars recently lost Patrick Sharp to an undisclosed injury that has resulted in season-ending surgery. Sharp and Roussel played with Tyler Seguin on the Stars second line. A struggling Dallas roster has been left in patches, in addition to losing Patrick Eaves in a trade to the Anaheim Ducks.
After forfeiting Antoine Roussel for the remainder of the season, the Stars called up Remi Elie from their AHL Texas affiliate. Elie has been assigned to the club as a reinforcement option. Dallas is expected to keep forward Brett Ritchie as a part of their top six for the time being.
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