Mats Zuccarello had a goal and assist in his first game with the Dallas Stars Sunday, but his second game won’t come for a while.
He blocked a shot in the waning moments of the second period, and the team tweeted after the game that he is “heading back to Dallas for evaluation, but the early assessment is that he is expected to miss at least 4 weeks.”
The Stars survived the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3, but they also lost captain Jamie Benn to an upper-body injury. Benn, who has 21 goals and 20 assists in 61 games, was hurt during the first shift of the game and went to the dressing room for evaluation. He was later ruled out.
“Jamie Benn is day-to-day, upper-body,” Stars coach Jim Montgomery said.
Montgomery added that Benn was actually hurt in Saturday night’s game and tried to play, but the injury was aggravated early.
Zuccarello blocked a Connor Murphy shot, and the puck appeared to hit him in the hand/wrist area. He left the game and didn’t return. Montgomery wouldn’t elaborate on the nature of the injury but said that he should only be out four weeks, not longer.
Zuccarello was acquired from the New York Rangers on Saturday to boost the Stars playoff chances.
The Stars hold the first wild card in the West. They are two points ahead of the Avalanche, three ahead of the Wild and now six up on the Blackhawks and Coyotes.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.