The Dallas Stars could be getting some help on the blue line for Monday’s game against the Islanders on Long Island.

Sergei Gonchar, who has missed six games due to concussion-like symptoms, is expected to return to the lineup. Trevor Daley, who has missed 14 games with a high-ankle sprain, is a possibility to return as well.

“I think we could see both of them,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. “Dales is having a real good day. We’ll get him in the morning skate tomorrow and see where he is at. Sergei for sure and Dales is a possibility.”

Daley went through his first full practice Sunday morning in Frisco and looked great.

“Practice was great. We’ll see how it reacts,” Daley said. “Pain-wise I think I am ready to go, it’s timing and getting everything back.”

Everybody was on the ice this morning except for center Tyler Seguin and defensemen Alex Goligoski and Aaron Rome. Rome suffered an upper body injury in Saturday night’s game against Detroit and is expected to miss a week. Seguin and Goligoski got the day off to rest.

“We’ve got some guys that are down some serious weight. You don’t know what any of this has factored in the last couple games,” said Ruff. “We’re just trying to get their energy levels back up. If their weights are down or they are not feeling well, we are trying to give them days off to try to recover, sleep in and recover.”

Goligoski has been carrying a big load due to the injuries on defense. Goligoski logged 30:22 of ice time Saturday night. It’s the third time in the last seven games that Goligoski has played more than 30 minutes.

“We’ve really put the weight on his shoulders with these guys out,” said Ruff. “They’ve done a good job, but they’ve hit the wall the last couple games. Both Diller (Brenden Dillon) and Goose have made some mental mistakes. It’s not from a lack of trying. The try has been good, but the mental mistakes caught up with them.”

Mueller back to AHL

The Stars sent forward Chris Mueller back to Texas of the AHL on Sunday. Mueller was called up Saturday as a precaution because some Dallas players were not feeling well, but he ended up being a healthy scratch.

Road trip

The Stars hit the road this week for three games, all of them in the New York City area. They play the New York Islanders (Monday), New Jersey Devils (Thursday) and New York Rangers (Friday) during the trip.

“It’s time for us to regroup here and get away from home,” said Stars captain Jamie Benn. “The road is a great place for team bonding- I looking forward to having a good road trip.”

Sunday’s practice lineup

Here’s how the Stars lined up in Sunday’s practice. With Tyler Seguin not practicing, Dustin Jeffrey skated with Jamie Benn and Valeri Nichushkin. With Aaron Rome out with an injury and Alex Goligoski not skating, there were some different pairs on defense.

Jamie Benn – Dustin Jeffrey – Valeri Nichushkin

Antoine Roussel – Cody Eakin – Ryan Garbutt

Erik Cole – Rich Peverley – Alex Chiasson

Shawn Horcoff – Vernon Fiddler – Ray Whitney

Trevor Daley – Brenden Dillon

Jordie Benn – Sergei Gonchar

Kevin Connauton – Cameron Gaunce

Kari Lehtonen

Dan Ellis





This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club. Mark Stepneski is an independent writer whose posts on DallasStars.com reflect his own opinions and do not represent official statements from the Dallas Stars. You can follow Mark on Twitter @StarsInsideEdge.