It's one of the most exciting times of the year in the NHL as the push to the Stanley Cup Playoffs is underway. Unfortunately for the Stars, their road to the postseason just got a little tougher.
With the playoffs less than a month away, the Stars will be without Tyler Seguin for the remainder of the regular season.
The forward cut his Achilles tendon is expected to miss 3-4 weeks, according to NHL.com. Seguin was cut on the back of his leg during the Stars' 4-3 win over the Lightning on Thursday after getting tied up with Tampa Bay defenseman Anton Stralman.
He underwent an operation on Friday, and is expected to recover in time for the start of the playoffs.
While it's good news for Dallas that it will have one of its top scorers back once the playoffs start, the huge loss of Seguin makes its road to the postseason even more daunting. The Stars (93 points) are clinging to the top spot of the Central Division, while the Blues (91) and Blackhawks (88) trail closely behind.
St. Louis has dropped two straight games, while flailing Chicago has lost its last four, but both teams are still very much nipping at Dallas' heels. Nashville (85 points) is also still very much in the mix.
The Stars are looking to lock up home-ice through the first two rounds by winning the Central Division.
If the season ended today, the Stars would battle the second wild-card team (currently the Avalanche), while the Blues would have home-ice over the Blackhawks in the first round with Dallas taking on the winner of that best-of-seven series with Games 1, 2, 5* and 7* (*if necessary) being played in Texas.
Seguin, 24, has averaged more than a point per game and is second behind only Jamie Benn on the Stars with 33 tallies and 73 points in 72 contests. The young forward also led the NHL with 26 even strength goals upon his injury.
The Canadian center also ranked fifth in the NHL in goals and third in points entering Friday's games. Dallas has 10 games left to play in the regular season, eight of which are against teams currently in playoff position. Two of those meetings will also be against the Blackhawks.
Though it's encouraging he'll be able to return for the postseason, losing Seguin now is a huge blow to the Stars.
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