Good afternoon from Dallas.
It's been just a crazy travel delay starting at 3:15 a.m. Then flight delays, the morning skate, errands (yes, I had errands to do in Dallas) and working ahead on a few stories, so that's the cause for the late blog.
Hopefully you follow me on Twitter so you know this already (www.twitter.com/russostrib), but Mikko Koivu will miss his 11th game tonight and Cal Clutterbuck will miss his fourth due to the injury Don Cherry says he didn't get.
This is Clutterbuck's first head injury since junior and he says he has a feeling of "helplessness" and "frustration" right now. He'd love to bandage it up and play, but that is not possible with this injury.
He did skate and shoot pucks for awhile this morning, and he said it's the best he's felt since getting hurt in the Islanders game. But it's not there yet.
Same with Koivu, who shot and passed pucks for awhile today. But he too said "it is what it is" and is extremely frustrated. But he just isn't ready to play yet.
Hopefully the Wild's still alive and kicking by the time he is.
"We have to be safe about it. We know it's a big game. He knows it's a big game, but we have to make the right decision," coach Todd Richards said. Clayton Stoner will miss his third game with groin issues. Richards said there's a lot of precautions because of Stoner's sports hernia last season. Stoner said he's hoping for Monday's game in Vancouver. Same lineup tonight, except Jose Theodore in goal. Nik Grossman will be back for Dallas, so the Stars are completely healthy and 5-0-2 in their best seven right now. The Wild is 0-9-4 in its past 13 games in Dallas. The 13-game winless streak is the NHL's fourth-longest current road losing streak by one team. The Wild last won in Dallas on March 21, 2003, 3-2 in overtime (Manny Fernandez, 34 saves). The Wild's last regulation win in Dallas was March 8, 2002. Since going 1-8-1 through Feb. 22, the Stars are 5-0-2. The Wild hasn't held a lead in Dallas in the last seven games, last leading Feb. 6, 2007, when it took a 2-0 first-period lead before falling 4-2. That was the game Mark Parrish scored to make it 3-0, but the video goal judge must have been doing a crossword or something. Then, the Stars rallied in a couple Martin Skoula gaffes, if I remember correctly
