Lian Bichsel made his return from injury count in a big way for the Stars. The towering defenseman scored two goals in his first game back as Dallas rolled to a 6-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night. With this, Dallas improved to 37-14-9 with the second-best record in the NHL.
It also extended the Stars’ winning streak to nine consecutive games, setting a new franchise record. Bichsel had not played since November 30, when he suffered an ankle injury. The 6-foot-7, 231-pound blueliner spent the past three months working his way back to full health under the guidance of assistant coach David Pelletier and skills coach Stan Tugolukov.
Patient Approach Pays Off for Dallas Stars and Liam Bichsel
The Stars’ coaching staff resisted the urge to rush Bichsel back before the Olympic break. Instead, they waited until he reached full strength before inserting him into the lineup. That patience paid dividends as Bichsel looked sharp in his return.
His first goal came in the second period when Ilya Lyubushkin found him sneaking to the net during a passing clinic. The left-hander snapped a perfect shot into the top corner for his second goal of the season.
The second-period tally gave Dallas a 2-1 lead after Vancouver had opened the scoring.
The Stars dominated the middle frame with a 16-4 advantage in shots on goal. Adam Erne provided a critical first-period goal that tied the game at 1-1. His shot from the wing deflected off a defender, caromed off the end boards, and bounced off Vancouver goaltender Nikita Tolopilo before crossing the goal line.
“We’ve got a lot of guys chipping in right now,” said head coach Glen Gulutzan, who is in his first season with Dallas after arriving from Edmonton. “It’s good when every guy feels good about himself.” Jason Robertson added a power-play goal off a feed from Matt Duchene to make it 3-1 in the second period.
The man-advantage marker continued an impressive stretch for the Stars, who have scored on the power play in all three games since the Olympic break. Dallas accomplished the feat despite missing forwards Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz.
Rantanen remains out with a lower-body injury, while Hintz is sidelined with an illness. New assistant coach Neil Graham has helped maintain the power play production during the absences. The Stars sit second in the league standings as they chase down the top spot in the Western Conference.
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