Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas broke his right leg Friday against the Blackhawks. He was hoping to kill off a Dallas penalty in the second period but slid hard into the boards beyond the goal line. He stayed down holding his leg just below the knee. The team says Robidas has a fracture and was taken to UT Southwestern Medical Center.
His 11th season with the Stars, Robidas has the longest tenure on the team. This is his 14th NHL season. Dallas played with five defenseman the rest of the way in their shootout loss to the Blackhawks.
Captain Jamie Benn said of Robidas' injury, "It's really tough. We hope he is all right. He is a big part of this team, and a big part of that back end and a pretty big leader."
I don't disagree with that. He has been by far the best defenseman the Stars have so far. The thing is, without his presence and his leadership, are the Stars going to be able to stay in the race? They've done well in the last few games thanks in part to guys like Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley stepping up their line. But without a veteran defenseman like Robidas, it'll be hard for goaltender Kari Lehtonen to help keep pucks out of the net. When I saw the Stars play the Ducks back in October, they played well out of the gate because of their solid offensive core in Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Rich Peverley. The only problem they had was in the second period when the defensemen started to wear down. And now without Robidas, it'll be hard to say whether or not this team stays on this hot streak. My best guess is they'll cool off, but they'll stay in it. They just have to be careful because teams like the Blackhawks and the Predators in their own division, might run away with it.
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