Five for Fighting

Zubov in practice

I was a bit surprised to see him skating with the teammates, in full gear, on Friday. But there was Sergei Zubov, doing just that. Good luck keeping the reins on that guy over these next few days. But relax, folks, he won't be playing tomorrow. Looks like they won't truly get a good evaluation of him for a few more days, probably by mid-week.

Philippe Boucher was out there again, too, but he's also out for tomorrow. Steve Ott is in; no doubt he's ready to unleash a little venom. Marty Turco will get the start tomorrow.

Thursday update

I love my hockey, but let's be honest... this is college basketball's day. I love these first two days, especially, of the tournament. And, boy, does this stuff look good in HD. I can see the individual threads in Baylor's uniform.

Anyway, onto practice. Sergei Zubov skated before the team this morning. I asked him how it went: "Not bad. Not bad at all." Dave Tippett said Zubov told him he was "pleasantly surprised." Good things to hear. Philippe Boucher skated with the team, but that's really all he was doing. No big timetable yet for this one. He's just thrilled that he's not skating by himself anymore.

Steve Ott will be back in the lineup on Saturday. No doubt the guy is buzzing to get back in there, and if nothing else the Stars could use his energy.

Big, big, huge, ginormous game on Saturday. Every game is a must-win now, really. But these guys need a statement game. They need to come out so angry and fiery and determined that they beat the Kings in every way possible. They need a reversal of fortune. Badly. (Yeah, that's my news flash of the day).

Zubov update tonight

We didn't get word about anything at today's morning skate thanks to all the travel woes of yesterday. The docs were checking in with Sergei Zubov in Frisco this morning while the rest of the team skated at the AAC. Coach Dave Tippett said there should be an update tonight after the game.

Zubov antsy

I talked with Sergei Zubov this morning about his return. The guy's just itching to get back into the lineup (no surprise there). In his words, "I'm just going crazy, you know." Zubov was set to actually see his doctor today, but with the weather situation as it is, coach Dave Tippett wasn't sure when the doctor was getting into town. Either way, it's going to take a very clear "go ahead" before he starts doing anything. Here's a little more of Zubov:

"It's no fun. It's two months and it's frustrating. You can't really do anything about it. But I'm looking forward (to getting back). I'm excited, and I'm ready to jump right back in. It's just a matter of days now."
"The toughest thing for a player is to sit  and watch. When you talk about two months and missing 20-something games, it's quite difficult. I'm just going crazy, you know."

Zubov up for Masterton

Sergei Zubov was nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy by the Dallas chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. The trophy is presented annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

This has to be one of the toughest seasons of Zubov's career. The man loves the game, and his groin and foot injuries have kept him away for about two months now. The Stars are hoping he's skating by the end of this week and playing by the end of the month. No doubt they could use his services, and his leadership, right now.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

It's far too late for me to be singing that, but it's appropriate enough considering what's going on outside. Hey, as a Pennsylvania native, I'm happy to finally see REAL snow falling down here. This is like lake-effect snow, actually, with those big flakes. But for those who have to drive in this later, be safe.

Anyway, onto the Stars. Not a whole lot shakin' out there today (the guys had a meeting, then an optional skate). Sounds like Philippe Boucher's status hasn't changed: week to week. I feel terrible for the guy. He plays with all that pain through the first part of the season, gets the surgery, then hurts his other shoulder.

Sergei Zubov, meanwhile, is progressing as he should. No, he's not skating yet. Probably still about two weeks from that. The Stars will be back at it tomorrow morning before heading to Colorado. Big, big weekend coming up for the boys.

Zubov has surgery; out 3-4 more weeks

Sergei Zubov had a screw inserted into his injured foot and will be out 3-4 weeks, according to coach Dave Tippett. Zubov had apparently gone to a specialist who told him to get this fixed now.

The Stars were hoping Zubov would be back on the ice sometime this week. Instead, they're keeping their fingers crossed that he gets some work in before the playoffs. "Ideally, if he gets back and gets skating the last week of March and plays the first week of April, that's very good," Tippett said.

Boucher, Zubov updates

Philippe Boucher continues to skate. Following morning skate, Dave Tippett said Boucher, "won't be a player this week, but possibly next week." That's great news. You can see the chomping-at-the-bit look starting to creep onto Boucher's face in practice. But he, like any player coming off a long injury, is by no means willing to rush back too soon.

Sergei Zubov, meanwhile, is still walking around but not skating. Tippett said they may have a better idea by the start of next week when he could resume skating.

Zubov on IR; Turco not here

Sergei Zubov has officially been placed on IR, retroactive to Jan. 17. Zubov isn't even skating right now, with that groin and foot still bothering him.

Marty Turco did NOT make the trip to Minnesota, so look for Mike Smith starting tonight. Tobias Stephan was recalled on an emergency basis as a backup tonight up here. Turco's neck was still pretty sore from the Tuesday night scrum. No real surprise that he would've been out anyway tonight, but I'm sure the Stars wanted to make sure they had a healthy backup just in case.

Zubov still sidelined; Boucher skating

Sergei Zubov was out of today's practice, and his status is still considered week to week with his foot and groin injuries. Philippe Boucher is skating, but that's about it right now. He's not taking shots and his return is still about a month away.