For the first time since 2014, the NHL will take a break for three weeks as many players depart their teams to represent their home country in a gauntlet of a tournament. The roster freeze will occur Wednesday afternoon, with perhaps the Dallas Stars making a trade beforehand. One game remains before Stars fans will have to find other ways to occupy their time. Several of those Stars players will board flights to Italy, representing the 12 teams in the Winter Olympics. Finland is a pick for Stars fans as the twelve hockey teams look to win an Olympic medals.
Roster Freeze
The roster freeze will forbid any changes to a hockey team over the course of the Olympic break. A few names are in the headlines lately for potential Stars trade partners. Artemi Panarin is a big name being shopped around. Other names who may pique the Stars’ interest are Nazem Kadri and Evander Kane. Physical presence on the ice helps come playoff time. We may see a trade on Wednesday afternoon or late on before the Trade Deadline. More trade talks will occur after the freeze is lifted.
One Final Game Before Break
The Stars have only four games this month, all at home. They sit at 10 road games remaining, 56 games into the season. Their last game before the break is a rivalry one against the St. Louis Blues. We could see a goaltending duel between the two favorites for the Olympics in Jordan Binnington and Jake Oettinger. Team Canada vs. Team USA is often a highly-touted, thrilling affair. These two countries could play in the Gold Medal Game, so Wednesday will feature a possible matchup for both countries’ goaltenders, depending on who starts in the Olympics. Most of the roster will get some much-needed rest for three weeks before the Stars start back up again on Wednesday, the 25th. Several Stars players are making their way to Italy.
Stars at the Olympics
This is the first Olympics since Sochi in 2014 where NHL players are allowed to participate. Seven Stars players will travel to Milan before the Opening Ceremony on Friday. Team Finland is heavily packed with Stars players. Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen, and Esa Lindell will represent Finland from the Stars. Former Stars players Joel Kiviranta (Game 7 hat trick and series-winning OT goal in 2020 vs. Colorado) and Mikael Granlund are representatives as well. Jake Oettinger is the sole United States Stars player going to the Olympics after the Jason Robertson snub. Radek Faksa plays for the Czech Republic and Thomas Harley for Canada. The odds are high for a Stars player bringing home Olympic gold. The United States begins against Latvia on Thursday, February 12th. Grab your coffee for the Gold Medal Game on Sunday, February 22nd, for a 7:10 AM start time for Dallas viewers. This Gold Medal Game is on the 46th Anniversary of the Miracle on Ice. All preliminary and early playoff rounds are at 2:10 PM. Players will return a few days later on Wednesday, the 25th.
Three weeks without Stars hockey sounds like torture, especially as they ride their five-game winning streak, all in one-goal victories. We’ll have international hockey over the next three weeks in Women’s and Men’s tournaments. The Stars are in good shape, currently ranking 5th in the NHL and 3rd in the Central. Attesting to the challenge of the Central, the Stars would lead the Pacific Division by 11 points. The Stars sit six points behind the Avalanche. Their three-week break is approaching, putting all NHL hockey on hold for the Olympics.
Dallas Stars Nation Blogger. You can time how fast I skate with a calendar. Lifetime GAA about 12.50.
Tags: dallas stars Esa Lindell jamie benn Jason Robertson Mikko Rantanen Miro Heiskanen nhl Olympics Roope Hintz Thomas Harley
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