Stars recall former first-round pick as potential Joe Pavelski replacement

The Dallas Stars haven’t officially confirmed that first-line right winger Joe Pavelski will miss Wednesday’s Game 2 against the Minnesota Wild, but we can read between the lines. The Stars announced Wednesday morning that they recalled center Riley Tufte from AHL Texas. Tufte is likely coming up to replace Pavelski in the lineup after he suffered what appeared to be a head injury on a devastating hit from Wild defenseman Matt Dumba in Game 1 Monday.

Dumba caught Pavelski behind Minnesota’s net with a hit that bordered on late. Dumba was originally handed a five-minute major penalty for roughing, but it was reduced to a minor after a review. Dumba was not suspended by the NHL’s Department of Player safety for the hit on the grounds that it occurred within the acceptable threshold of 0.5 to 0.6 seconds after Pavelski played the puck and was thus not considered a late hit.

The Stars haven’t formally ruled Pavelski out, but coach Pete DeBoer indicated after Game 1 that he was “not confident” in having Pavelski for Game 2.