DENVER — Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer drew up a surprising line change just hours after telling the media the lineup would remain the same in Game 6 at Ball Arena against the Colorado Avalanche.
Defenseman Nils Lundkvist was a healthy scratch in Friday’s game, missing his first of the postseason. Alexander Petrovic, who was called up Wednesday from the AHL after the Texas Stars’ season ended, took his spot.
The Stars have been thin at the blue line due to an injury to Jani Hakanpää that has now lingered for two months. Dallas has effectively used five defensemen throughout the playoffs, as Lundkvist is averaging just 4:28 of ice time in the playoffs.
He has one assist in 12 playoff games this season.
Lundkvist has struggled to earn the trust of the coaching staff, coming in and out of the lineup throughout the regular season. The 23-year-old Swedish defenseman, whom Dallas traded a first-round draft pick for before last season, has been benched regularly in the third period and in critical situations.
Petrovic, 32, is fresh off a playoff run where the Texas Stars played seven games. He brings size at 6-5, 208 and shoots right, sliding in for Lundkvist seamlessly.
The Stars did call up Derrick Pouliot before the playoffs, another AHL defenseman, but chose not to use him. He is a lefty and hasn’t played in a game for weeks, meanwhile Petrovic has.
Petrovic played in one game for Dallas this year on Feb. 19 where he logged 12:52 of ice time. He has not played in an NHL playoff game since April 24, 2016, with the Florida Panthers.
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