Glen Gulutzan kept Jake Oettinger out Wednesday night with lower-body tightness, and the Stars goalie's Friday status is now up in the air.
Gulutzan called it a precaution after the 2-0 win over Minnesota. The Stars will have him checked again Thursday before deciding anything.
He might not play Friday's preseason finale in Minnesota. But Gulutzan wouldn't rule him out yet, either.
So how worried should Dallas be? Tightness isn't a diagnosis, and the coach didn't offer anything beyond the lower-body label.
What's clear is the investment. The netminder carries an $8,250,000 cap hit, and the Stars have no reason to push it in September.
Sit him Friday too. Playing a tight goalie in an exhibition game is like jogging on a tweaked hamstring the week before the marathon.
Remi Poirier blanks the Wild as Dallas stays perfect in preseason
The Stars didn't miss a beat without him. Remi Poirier stopped all 24 shots he faced, and Arno Tiefensee sat as the backup.
Esa Lindell and Matthew Seminoff did the scoring. Seminoff's goal stood as the winner, and he tacked on five penalty minutes for good measure.
Kyle Capobianco set up both goals in 16:42 of work. Miro Heiskanen logged 24:11 on the back end.
Dallas is now 3-0 this preseason. Minnesota's Jesper Wallstedt kept it close, stopping 22 of 24.
Hunter Haight was the most active Wild skater, putting five shots on goal in a losing effort.
The crease depth already looked solid. Casey DeSmith stopped 30 of 31 in Monday's 2-1 win over St. Louis.
That gives Gulutzan options if Thursday's news isn't good. But nobody in Dallas wants to find out how long those options can hold up.
The regular season opens October 2 at home against St. Louis. That's the date that actually matters here.
A roster with Mikko Rantanen and Jason Robertson each carrying $12,000,000 cap hits is built to win now. It needs its starter healthy in April, not September.
Thursday's check will tell Gulutzan more. If Oettinger sits Friday, his next appearance in net could come on opening night, with no dress rehearsal at all.
Should the Stars sit Jake Oettinger for Friday's preseason finale no matter what?
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