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Florida Panthers forward Krys Barch was ejected after reportedly directing a racial slur at a Montreal player Saturday night, and Florida coach Kevin Dineen said it was now a matter for the NHL to investigate.

The Dallas Stars traded Barch to the Panthers back on Dec. 7

Barch was given a game misconduct after a dustup at the end of the first period in Florida's 3-2 win. The Miami Herald, citing an unidentified league official, said linesman Darren Gibbs overheard Barch use the slur against P.K. Subban, whose parents are Jamaican.

NHL executive vice president Colin Campbell is investigating the incident but no decision is expected Sunday, a source told ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun. The Panthers don't play again until Thursday.

Barch, 31, played his first 263 NHL games with Dallas, registering 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists) and 578 penalty minutes.

The Stars sent Barch and and a sixth-round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft to Florida for left wing Jake Hauswirth and the Panthers' fifth-round pick in 2012.

You can read the rest of the story here.

FRISCO -- The Dallas Stars are back out on the road and they are facing a stiff five-game trip that will start in California and end in New Jersey.

“It’s huge,” said Stars captain Brenden Morrow. “We’re going coast to coast. We’re just kind of hovering right now. We’re getting some guys back and hopefully we can get this thing streaking again in the right direction.”

Morrow, who has missed the last six games with a back injury, is one of those guys coming back. He’s expected to play Thursday. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said defenseman Alex Goligoski, who has missed eleven games with a broken thumb, and defenseman Trevor Daley, out the last three games with a back issue, will definitely be in when the Stars open the trip Thursday in San Jose.

The Sharks will be one of several tough matchups on the trip.

“I think the key to any road trip is to get off to a good start,” said Gulutzan.” We’ve got a real tough game in San Jose. They came into our building and beat us and played hard. We just want to go back into their building, play hard and see what happens. We thought we played a pretty good game against them, took some penalties, but played a pretty good game. We want to bring that same game and see what transpires.”

After that it’s another divisional game against the Los Angeles Kings, one of the teams the Stars are battling for a playoff spot in the West. Then they Stars will head head east, where they’ll take on the New York Rangers, one of the top teams in the league right now, the New York Islanders, a team that beat them over the weekend and then they conclude the trip next Friday in New Jersey.

“It’s a cliché, but it’s one at a time,” said Morrow. “We want to focus on 60 minutes in San Jose and once that one is over we move on to the next one. The divisional games seem like there is always more at stake, but we are going to treat those games in New York just as important as the first two. But we are going to take them all separately.”

Fistric will sit three games for hit

The Stars will be without defenseman Mark Fistric for the first three games of the trip after he was suspended by the NHL for his hit on Islanders forward Nino Niederreiter in Saturday’s game at American Airlines Center.

NHL Senior VP of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan, who suspended the Dallas defenseman three games, said Fistric violated rule 42.1(charging).

“In the game you step up and make a hit and someone might view it one way and someone might view it another way. That’s part of the game, I guess,” Fistric said just before the decision came down. “I don’t think he (Shanahan) liked the height of the feet after the contact. If you watch some of the big hits in the NHL, lots of guys’ feet are not on the ice. It’s sort of frustrating a bit, I think. But it is what it is.”

The league also considered the fact that Niederreiter suffered an injury (concussion) on the play and that Fistric was fined in 2010 for hitting Eric Nystrom, then with Calgary, with a helmet during a fight.

Fistric will forfeit $16,216.23 in salary. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Barch: 'I knew something was going to happen'

Stars forward Krys Barch, who was traded to the Florida Panthers Wednesday, told a Miami newspaper that knew something was going to happen on that front. The Stars traded Barch and a 6th round pick in 2012 to Florida in exchange for minor league prospect Jake Hauswirth and a fifth round pick in 2012.

Barch has played in only ten of Dallas’ 26 games this season. He is expected to join the Southeast Division leading Panthers in Boston on Thursday.

“I kind of knew something was going to happen with the way this year has gone,” Barch told the Miami Herald. “I didn’t know where or how. But I’m ecstatic to be going to a team that’s where they are now.”

FRISCO -- The Dallas Stars traded forward Krys Barch to the Florida Panthers for a minor league player Wednesday.

The Stars sent Barch and and a sixth-round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft to Florida for left wing Jake Hauswirth and Florida's fifth-round pick in 2012.

"I want to thank Krys Barch for his time that he spent here," said Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk. "I think he's been a good teammate and a good warrior. He stuck up for his teammates and he did everything you want him to do in that role. He was looking for more of an opportunity to be a contributor, we respected that and we wanted to work with him. We found a team that might be a good fit for him."

Barch, 31, has played 263 NHL games, all with Dallas, and has registered 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists) and 578 penalty minutes.

Hauswirth, 26, currently plays with Rio Grande of the Central Hockey League.

The trade should allow the Stars to keep forward Tomas Vincour, who has been up with the team due to injuries, to stay in the NHL.

DALLAS -- Jake Dowell will be in the lineup tonight for the Stars on the fourth line. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said Dowell will give the team an extra center in the lineup in case there are any issues with Vernon Fiddler, who will play tonight but has been dealing with bumps and bruises.

"We have to protect ourselves a little bit. Fidds came out of the game a little bit with some soreness. We want to make sure we have another centermen in case Wandy (Tom Wandell) moves up and Dowell slides over," Gulutzan said. "Fidds had yesterday off and he's better, but we had an eight to ten minute stretch we didn't have him, so we want to make sure we have that position solidified."

With Dowell in, it would appear Krys Barch will be the scratch tonight.

Andrew Raycroft in goal tonight.

On the injury front, not a lot new. Gulutzan said that he expects Brenden Morrow (back), Trevor Daley (back) and Alex Goligoski (broken thumb) to return during the upcoming road trip.

"On the road trip we will have Goose, Daley and Morrow back at some point on the road," Gulutzan said. "Morrow and Daley are probables for Thursday (at San Jose). That will be good news for our club."

Here’s a look at some numbers for the Dallas Stars’ month of November, which ended with Monday’s 3-1 victory at Colorado.

The record

The five-game losing streak stood out during the month, but the Stars started November 3-0-0 and ended it on a 3-1-1 run. So, when you add it all up they were 6-6-1 (.500) for the month. They were 3-2-1 at home and 3-4-0 on the road.

Goals for/against

Despite being shut out three times in November, the Stars’ goal scoring was up over October (2.62 to 2.36). The Stars averaged 4.5 goals per game in their six wins, including 5.7 in the first three wins of the month.

The Stars allowed 3.15 goals per game, significantly more than the 2.09 per game they allowed in October. They gave up 6 goals twice in the month and five goals once.

After having a strong month in five-on-five play in October (19 for/14 against), they were outscored 28-22 in five-on-five situations in November. The losses to Florida and Detroit were not good for the five-on-five stat; they were outscored 11-1 at even strength in those two games.

Special teams

The Stars were 6-18 (33.3%) on the power play in the first five games of the month and then 0-20 over the last eight games. That added up to 6-38 (15.8%).

The Stars penalty kill was 79.3% (46-58) for the month, but on the positive side the Stars were 16-17 on the PK over the last five games.

Over the first nine games of the month Stars’ opponents had a 47-26 advantage in the number of power plays. Over the last four games the Stars had the advantage 12-11. That added up to 38 power plays in the month for the Stars and 58 for their opponents. That was 1.5 power plays for Dallas opponents to every one for the Stars.

Stats odds & ends

*The Stars averaged 29.4 shots per game in November, up from 26.6 in October. They gave up 33 shots per game, basically the same as October.

*The Stars won 47.3 percent of their faceoffs in November, down from 50.5 percent in October.

*The team save percentage, which was 93.6 percent last month, was 90.4 percent this month.

*The Stars lost 28 man-games to injury in November and have lost 36 for the season, according to game notes provided by Stars PR.

Player notes

*Eric Nystrom led the Stars with seven goals in November. Michael Ryder was next with 6.

*Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson were tops in points with 13 each. Ryder was next with 12.

*Eriksson and Benn were tops in plus/minus at plus-9 each. Adam Pardy and Jake Dowell were on the low end of the scale at minus-5.

*Benn led the Stars with 43 shots on goal. Sheldon Souray was next with 40.

*Stephane Robidas led the Stars in ice time during the month at 22:43 per game.

*Mike Ribeiro was tops among forwards at 19:14 per game.

*Of the 14 forwards who played in the month, only Krys Barch (6:48) averaged less than 9:00 of ice time per game.

*Steve Ott was the team’s best faceoff guy at 56.9 percent.

*Kari Lehtonen was 5-3-1 in November with a 2.92 goals against average and .903 save percentage.

*Andrew Raycroft was 1-3-0 during the month with a 3.33 goals against average and .913 save percentage.

With Kari Lehtonen out due to a groin injury, the Dallas Stars will now turn to Andrew Raycroft to carry the load in goal.

“Razor’s been the guy before and that’s why we got him,” said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan.

It’s still not clear how long Lehtonen will be unable to play. He’s on injured reserve, so he’ll be out at least one week. The Stars will get a better idea of a time frame after they get results of an MRI of his groin. But the Stars do have the schedule in their favor at this point. Starting with Monday’s game in Denver, they have just five games over the next 15 days.

“The silver lining here is that if it is a week or two week injury we don’t play a ton here until we go out on the road,” said Gulutzan. “That’s what we are hoping for and we have full confidence in Razor to get it done and take us to where we need to go.”

Raycroft is 0-5-0 this season, but all five decisions have come on the second night of back-to-back games for the Stars and four of those have been on the road. And the guys in front of him haven’t provided him a ton of offensive support. The Stars have scored just five goals in Raycroft’s five games and have been shut out twice.

The 31-year-old has been a No. 1 goalie before in his career. In 2006-07, he played 72 games, including 71 starts, for Toronto and posted a 37-25-9 record. Last season he carried the load briefly for the Stars when Lehtonen went out of the lineup with some back issues. He started four straight games – three of them on the road – in December, posting a 2-2-0 record, 3.01 goals against average and .891 save percentage.

“I’ve been a starter in the league and to be honest, feel more comfortable with it most of the time. You can get into a bit of a rhythm,” said Raycroft. “It will be nice to feel a rhythm and just get the pace of play down and get better reads. I’m looking forward to that.”

Raycroft has started 18 games for the Stars over the past two seasons. He has a 8-9-0 record with a 3.04 goals against average, a .904 save percentage and two shutouts.

“He’s always been ready every time he’s been asked to go in the net,” Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas said of Raycroft. “He’s been a No. 1 before in this league and he’s still a really good goalie and we’re fully confident in him.”

Bachman gets the call

The Stars called up Richard Bachman from the Texas Stars of the AHL to serve as the backup to Andrew Raycroft while Kari Lehtonen is out.

Bachman, a fourth round pick (120th overall) in 2006, has a 7-6-1 record, 3.13 goals against average and a .887 save percentage with Texas this season. Playing under Stars coach Glen Gulutzan with Texas last season, was 28-19-5 with a 2.20 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. He played in one game for Dallas last season, stopping all four shots he faced in 9:35 of playing time against Phoenix.

“It’s his competitiveness. He’s a real competitive guy,” Gulutzan said of Bachman. “He’s a cerebral goalie. As a smaller guy (5-10, 175 pounds) he has to be in good position. He doesn’t give up a lot of rebounds and you have to beat him clean to beat him. He reads the game well. Quietly, quietly competitive guy and he’s won everywhere he’s been.”

Having played in Gulutzan’s system and getting some time in the NHL last season are big plusses for Bachman.

“It helps to be familiar with it, familiar with all the systems and to know what the D are going to do because I saw it last year,” Bachman said. “There’s that comfort factor of knowing everything and obviously being up for the second time you know more faces in the locker room. I’ll be a lot more comfortable, I think.”

Notes

*C Vernon Fiddler, who left Saturday’s game with a groin injury, will probably play Monday at Colorado, according to coach Glen Gulutzan.

*D Trevor Daley, who left Saturday’s game with a back injury, is out for Monday.

*Kari Lehtonen (groin), Brenden Morrow (upper body), Alex Goligoski (broken thumb) and Adam Burish (broken hand) are all on injured reserve and remain out.

*Krys Barch, who has been a scratch the last four games, is expected to play Monday to bring some fresh legs to lineup.

*Along with Richard Bachman, the Stars recalled LW Francis Wathier from Texas (AHL) on Sunday. He is not expected to play Monday.

There was some good news on the injury front for the Dallas Stars Sunday. Center Vernon Fiddler, who left Saturday's game in Phoenix with a groin injury, should be ready to play Monday at Colorado.

"He is probably going to be a go," said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. "We'll see how that transpires, but he'll probably be a go for us."

Trevor Daley, who hurt his back in Saturday's game is out. Gulutzan said Adam Pardy likely will take Daley's place on a pairing with Nicklas Grossman.

Krys Barch, who has been a scratch the last four games, will be in the lineup Monday to bring some fresh legs and energy. Francis Wathier, called up Sunday from Texas of the AHL, is not expected to play.

Andrew Raycroft will start in goal and Richard Bachman, called up from Texas Sunday, will be the backup.

There's no update on the status of Kari Lehtonen, who has headed back to Dallas to get an MRI on his injured groin. The Stars placed Lehtonen on injured reserve Sunday, which means he will be out at least one week.

FRISCO -- Stars captain Brenden Morrow, who missed Wednesday's game with an upper body injury, is expected to be out the next three games as well. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said he expects Morrow to return next Thursday, meaning Morrow will not play in Friday, Saturday and Monday's games.

"He's out through the weekend and we're hoping come Thursday we'll have a completely healthy Brenden," Gulutzan said. "He's very close, but he's got a couple of upper body things that need to get looked after and then I think we are going to have a good, healthy captain."

Center Mike Ribeiro, who took that big hit from Kings defenseman Jack Johnson at the end of Thursday's 3-2 overtime win, is doing fine.

"Ribs said he is fine this morning," said Gulutzan. "He said he saw him coming."

The Stars have three games in four nights coming up, including back-to-back games Friday (Toronto at American Airlines Center) and Saturday (at Phoenix). They also play Monday at Colorado. Gulutzan said Kari Lehtonen will play Friday against the Maple Leags and could play Saturday as well. It appears Andrew Raycroft will get one of the three games as well.

"We know that Kari is going to go against Toronto and then we'll make a decision after that. There's a chance Kari could go both nights," Gulutzan said of the back-to-back. "It depends on how he feels. But we're not going to pigeonhole ourselves into anything. Razor (Andrew Raycroft) will get a game, but we are not sure which one it will end up being."

The Stars held an optional skate today. Vernon Fiddler, Toby Petersen, Krys Barch, Jake Dowell, Adam Pardy, Philip Larsen, Tomas Vincour and Raycroft were the players on the ice.

Alex Goligoski (broken thumb) and Adam Burish (broken hand) skated at the other end of the ice with assistant coach Paul Jerrard.

A lot of the players' and coaches' families were at the rink and some of the kids took the ice to skate with their dads at the end of practice.

FRISCO -- Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk said he is pleased with his team’s performance through the first 20 games, which marks the quarter point of the season.

When the Stars beat Edmonton 4-1 Monday night they improved to 12-8-0 on the season. Their 24 points currently rank them sixth in the Western Conference and their .600 points percentage is sixth as well.

There have been ups and downs. They had an 11-3-0 start that featured winnings streaks of four and five games. Then there was the five-game losing streak that ended with Monday night’s victory over the Oilers.

“I’m pleased. We obviously went into a bit of a rut there, but I think we’re a learning team,” Nieuwendyk said. “Our coach is implementing some things, we’re learning how to try to put our game out there. I’m hoping [Monday] night was the start of something good again.”

In the victory over the Oilers, the Stars rolled out a balanced attack. Players from all four lines scored goals and eleven different players registered points. Nieuwendyk said depth is the biggest positive over the first 20 games, and that’s an issue he addressed with his offseason signings and an early season trade.

“I think Vernon Fiddler, (Eric) Nystrom and (Radek) Dvorak have given us a solid, real hardworking third line,” Nieuwendyk said. “We have better balance on our team than we’ve had the past couple years. “

Goaltender Kari Lehtonen has been superb for the Stars in the first quarter, posting a league-high 12 wins, a 2.35 goals against average and a .928 save percentage. Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson have chipped in 19 points each over the first 20 games. Defenseman Sheldon Souray, another offseason signing, has been a big boost at both ends of the ice.

But Nieuwendyk said it will take everyone chipping in one way or another to carry the Stars over the course of the long season.

“We’re not going to win this on one or two guys,” Nieuwendyk said. “We need good work ethic and contributions from everybody.”

Moving forward, Nieuwendyk said he’d like to see a more consistent effort from the Stars, and not let frustration creep in the way it did when the Stars hit those bumps that are going to occur now and then over the grind of a long season.

“Consistency in our game. When we were 11-3-0 we were maybe reading our press clippings a little bit too much. Then we got a little dose of reality,” said Nieuwendyk. “I think maybe the key for the next 20 games is to find some consistency in our game. It’s going to be tough. You have to find a way to get your game out on the ice and not get frustrated. That’s been the theme the last week – let’s put the frustration aside and play our game and see how we measure up.

“It’s going to be tough and competitive all the way through. We see that in the standings. Sometimes you go through those growing pains and they make you stronger. All in all, our start has been pretty good through the first 20 games.”

Notes

*The Stars had an optional skate Tuesday. Toby Petersen, Jake Dowell, Krys Barch, Adam Pardy, Tom Wandell, Tomas Vincour and Andrew Raycroft were the players on the ice.

*Defenseman Alex Goligoski (broken thumb) skated on his own prior to the practice, handling and shooting pucks with his good hand. He also did some on-ice work with assistant coach Paul Jerrard.

FRISCO -- It was a quiet day in Frisco. It was an optional skate and seven players were on the ice this morning. Toby Petersen, Jake Dowell, Krys Barch, Adam Pardy, Tom Wandell and Tomas Vincour were the skaters. Andrew Raycroft manned the goal.

Alex Goligoski (broken thumb) skated on this own for a while this morning, handling and shooting pucks with his good hand. He then did some work with assistant coach Paul Jerrard.

The Stars looked at video of last night's 4-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said the game can appear different on tape than it does live, so he likes to go to the tape for a definitive assessment of exactly what happened on the ice.

"You get different looks. I always like to reserve judgement, so I can see it again. The game happens so fast," Gulutzan said. "We gave up some chances and we could clean those up a little bit, but our effort was apparent on the ice live and in the video. We finished more checks, we did more of the little things that eventually, over the 60 minute game, got us the victory."

Kari Lehtonen will get the start in goal tomorrow against the Los Angeles Kings, who will be playing in St. Louis tonight.

DALLAS -- Here are a few notes from this morning's skate at the American Airlines Center.

Right wing Tomas Vincour and defenseman Philip Larsen will be in the lineup tonight for the Stars, who will try to snap a five-game losing streak when they take on the Edmonton Oilers.

Krys Barch, Jake Dowell and Adam Pardy will be the healthy scratches.

Kari Lehtonen will be in goal.

New owner Tom Gaglardi talked to the team prior to the team's skate this morning.

"It was good, positive," said defenseman Nicklas Grossman. "It was the first time I met him. He talked about being excited to be here. You see right away what kind of guy he is, his passion for the game. He's been around hockey his whole life up in Vancouver. We're excited to have him."

Mired in a three-game losing streak, the Dallas Stars hope to get back on track Friday when they hit the road for a game in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche.

The Stars are coming off losses at Pittsburgh and at Detroit last weekend and then one at home to Florida on Tuesday. The Stars have been outscored 14-3 in the three defeats.

“No one is happy with the last three games we’ve played, but if we are moping around that’s not the attitude we want going into games,” said Stars captain Brenden Morrow. “We kicked ourselves around, looked at some video, know that there are some things we need to work on, but we want to have a good, positive attitude going into that game tomorrow.”

The Stars have been outplayed in the three games, but the 6-0 loss to Florida at American Airlines Center Tuesday was particularly bitter. It was the team’s most lopsided loss of the season and it came on home ice.

“Sometimes it is good to get humbled a little bit,” said Morrow. “We got off to a great start, probably surprised a lot of teams and now they know what to expect and know it’s going to be a tough game when they play the Dallas Stars. We’ve got to be ready to meet that challenge. Obviously, we weren’t against Florida and we’ll be better prepared against Colorado.”

Friday’s game in Denver kicks off what Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said is a key seven-game stretch that will take the team to the end of November.

After Colorado, the Stars have home games against Edmonton, San Jose, Los Angeles and Toronto and then road games at Colorado and Phoenix.

“In those seven games our play has to be at a certain level – whether our record is 7-0-0 or 3-3-1 or whatever – just to see how we measure up,” Gulutzan said. “You get to the point when you are around the 24-game mark you have a little better idea of where your team actually is. I think these next seven games are important.”

Notes

*Stars coach Glen Gulutzan juggled his top two lines in Thursday’s practice. He moved Loui Eriksson to the right wing on a line with left wing Brenden Morrow and center Mike Ribeiro. Steve Ott was on the left side with center Jamie Benn and right wing Michael Ryder.

*The Stars activated forward Steve Ott from injured reserve. Ott, who has missed the last six games with a hip injury, will play Friday at Colorado.

*The Stars placed forward Adam Burish on injured reserve. Burish, who broke his hand in Tuesday’s loss to Florida, is expected to be out four to six weeks.

*Forward Krys Barch, who missed Wednesday’s practice after twisting an ankle in Tuesday’s game, practiced Thursday and is ready to play.

*Gulutzan said Kari Lehtonen will play in goal Friday at Colorado and that the plan right now is to have Andrew Raycroft play Saturday when the Stars host San Jose, but that Raycroft's start is not set in stone.

With ownership change looming, Stars players focus is on the ice

Friday will be a key day on the Dallas Stars ownership front. A bankruptcy court in Delaware is expected to approve the sale of the team to Tom Gaglardi and confirm the team’s prepackaged bankruptcy plan. With the NHL Board of Governors already having voted to approve Gaglardi as owner in a fax vote, it clears the way for the Vancouver businessman to take ownership of the club quickly.

While there’s been a lot of buzz about the looming ownership change, the players have been focused on taking care of business on the ice.

“It will be great when all is said and done and Mr. Gaglardi is in control, but it’s business we really can’t take care of in here,” said Stars captain Brenden Morrow. “The less we think about it the better off we’re going to be.”

Gaglardi is expected to be introduced at a press conference in Dallas early next week, most likely on Monday.

“I haven’t really worried about it in a couple of years, and I probably won’t worry about it until we get to meet our new owner,” said forward Steve Ott. “But to have the ownership behind us, not have to worry about any of those things and know we have a financial backer that wants to improve the Stars, I think that’s where it all will be very exciting.”

FRISCO -- Stars coach Glen Gulutzan made some changes to his forward lines today. Loui Eriksson, who had been playing left wing on a line with Jamie Benn and Michael Ryder, has moved to right wing on line with Brenden Morrow and Mike Ribeiro. Steve Ott, who is set to return from a hip injury and has been practicing at right wing with Morrow and Ribeiro, has been switched to left wing on line a with Benn and Ryder.

"We just made that change because we had two guys playing out of their natural positions," Gulutzan said. "Loui has played right for five years, but he can play both. Otter hasn't played as much right as Loui, so it's just easier to have them in their natural positions. It gives us some balance."

On the goaltending front, Gulutzan said Kari Lehtonen will get the nod in goal when the Stars play at Colorado Friday night.

"For sure Kari going to go in goal tomorrow at Colorado," Gulutzan said. "We haven't set it completely in stone, but Razor (Andrew Raycroft) will come back here Saturday against San Jose. That's what our plan is right now. We haven't it discussed it with [goaltending coach Mike Valley] and the goalies yet, but that's what is in my head right now. But Lehts is going to go for sure tomorrow."

Krys Barch, who didn't practice yesterday due to a twisted ankle, was on the ice today and Gulutzan said Barch is fine.

Defenseman Philip Larsen, called up over the weekend due to the injury to Alex Goligoski, won't play Friday but could play this weekend because of the back-to-back games.

Here was Thursday's practice lineup:

Ott-Benn-Ryder
Morrow-Ribeiro-Eriksson
Nystrom-Fiddler-Dvorak
Dowell/Barch-Wandell-Petersen

Defense pairings were mixed

Lehtonen
Raycroft

FRISCO -- The injuries are starting to pile up for the Dallas Stars. The latest big blow on the injury front is forward Adam Burish, who is expected to be out four to six weeks with a broken hand.

“Bur was playing really well for us,” said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. “It’s unfortunate.”

Burish was injured in Tuesday night’s 6-0 loss to Florida when he was hit in the left hand by a puck off the stick of teammate Brenden Morrow.

Burish was the second Dallas player to get knocked out of action by a puck in the last three games. Defenseman Alex Goligoski is expected to be out at least four weeks after suffering a broken thumb in last Friday’s 3-1 loss at Pittsburgh.

The status of forward Krys Barch is up in the air as well. He twisted an ankle in the Florida game and he is listed as day-to-day.

“You’d rather have them now. You’d rather not have them at all, but if you are going to have them, have them now,” said Gulutzan. “We’ve got the guys that can up their levels with Goose and Bur and Barchy out. The depth will have to fill in for the guys that are out.”

With Goligoski out the Stars still have six healthy regular NHL defensemen and over the weekend they called up Philip Larsen, who Gulutzan said is ready to be an NHL player.

The Stars will get some relief at forward with the expected return of Steve Ott, who has missed the last six games with a hip pointer. Ott should be ready to return for Friday's game at Colorado.

“Today was the best day I had in a couple weeks now. I am actually energetic about it,” Ott said following Wednesday’s practice. “I’ve come off the ice the last couple times maybe a little hesitant or not so excited because I knew I needed more days. Now I am at a point where today was a real good day. I am a lot closer to that 100 percent mark now than I was even yesterday.”

Gulutzan said Ott will take Burish’s spot at right wing on a line with Morrow and Mike Ribeiro. The rest of the lines will remain the same.

Whether the Stars call up a forward from the Texas Stars will depend on whether Barch is ready to go this weekend.

“We haven’t crossed that bridge yet,” Gulutzan said. “We want to see how Barchy is and if Barchy isn’t a game guy then we’ll probably have to call somebody up.

The Stars play at Colorado Friday and then host San Jose on Saturday.

FRISCO -- Dallas Stars forward Adam Burish is expected to miss four to six weeks with a broken hand. Burish was injured in Tuesday night's 6-0 loss to the Florida Panthers at American Airlines Center.

"He got hit with a puck," said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. "Brenden (Morrow) shot the puck and it hit him in the hand. He has a broken hand."

The Burish injury comes on the heels of the Stars losing defenseman Alex Goligoski for about four weeks when he suffered a broken thumb after getting hit with a puck in a game at Pittsburgh on Friday.

The Stars do have some good news on the injury front. Steve Ott, who has missed the last six games with a hip injury, is expected to return for Friday's game at Colorado. Ott will take the place of Burish on a line with Morrow and Mike Ribeiro.

Gulutzan also said forward Krys Barch is day-to-day after twisting his ankle in Tuesday's game.