Dallas Stars forward Radek Faksa needed help off the ice Saturday night after an Erik Karlsson one-timer caught the inside of his knee.
Ugly sequence. The one-timer gets through, and the 32-year-old folds onto one knee with his stick lying flat on the ice.
He stayed down. When he finally left, it wasn't under his own power.
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Any word on the extent of it has to come from the Stars. Nobody should be guessing before they do.
This was the first meeting of the season between Dallas and Pittsburgh. The rematch doesn't come until Nov. 22 in Dallas.
Karlsson came in with five assists through five games. He's still looking for his first goal.
The veteran blueliner also logged 24:50 on Friday in a 3-2 shootout loss in Columbus, so the Penguins were working the second half of a back-to-back.
Stars' forward depth already thin with Joel Kiviranta sidelined
Faksa has one assist through four games this season, with a +1 rating. Dallas pays him $2,000,000 against the cap.
Does one point make him easy to replace? Not when the Stars are already short a body up front.
Joel Kiviranta is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He's expected to be out until at least Oct. 13.
Glen Gulutzan's next options up front aren't exactly lighting it up. Justin Hryckowian and Arttu Hyry are both still looking for their first point after four games each.
A one-timer off the inside of the knee is like catching a car door on your shin, if the door were frozen rubber moving faster than traffic.
If there's any doubt, Dallas should sit him for the Colorado back-to-back. Rushing a knee in mid-October is how a week turns into a month.
The Avalanche visit Tuesday. Then the Stars head to Denver for the second half Wednesday, with no rest day in between.
Dallas arrived in Pittsburgh riding two straight wins, including a 4-0 shutout in Buffalo on Thursday. Jake Oettinger owns a .967 save percentage.
And Tyler Seguin, carrying a $9,850,000 cap hit, still doesn't have a point through four games.
Faksa's knee will decide one lineup spot. Seguin's start might force Gulutzan to shuffle a lot more than that.
Should the Stars sit Radek Faksa for both Colorado games even if he's cleared to play?
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