The Stars are getting used to postponements.
On Wednesday morning, the league announced that Thursday’s Stars-Lightning game would be postponed, “as a result of ongoing power issues caused by severe weather in the Dallas area, and after consultation with Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson’s office,” the NHL said in a statement.
The decision to postpone Thursday’s game came after games Monday and Tuesday against the Predators were postponed. Monday’s game against Nashville was called off about an hour before the 7:30 p.m. puck drop, while Tuesday’s was postponed at 9 a.m., 10 1/2 hours before the scheduled game time.
The next scheduled Stars game is Saturday against Tampa Bay at the American Airlines Center.
The latest postponement is the seventh of the season for the Stars, who lost their first four games of the season due to a COVID-19 outbreak during training camp. Only New Jersey has played fewer games than the Stars (12). Should Dallas restart its schedule Saturday vs. the Lightning and end it May 10 as currently scheduled, the Stars will play their final 44 games in 80 days.
The combination of the coronavirus pandemic and a severe winter storm have left the Stars with a heavy burden to carry the final three months of the season.
So who is responsible for the call to ultimately play or not play a game? The NHL, the Stars, the City of Dallas, another party?
“Ultimately, the league is responsible for postponing games,” NHL senior vice president of communications John Dellapina said. “But, as we always do – and as we certainly have done continuously and extensively in this particular case – we make such decisions in close consultation with the clubs affected and the local authorities, clearly prioritizing the safety of our players, coaches, fans and communities.”
Since the Stars cannot play at home, can the team simply travel elsewhere to play games instead of playing them in Dallas? For instance, playing the Lightning in Tampa and moving a future road game in Tampa back to Dallas.
“As you know better than I do, there is nothing simple about the Stars going anywhere at the moment,” Dellapina said. “Nor is there anything simple about changing the venue of any game under normal conditions, no less during a weather-related emergency and pandemic.”
Amalie Arena was also booked Friday and Saturday by the Christian hip-hop artist TobyMac, and the Toronto Raptors have a home game in Tampa on Sunday evening.
The Stars referred questions about postponement decisions to the league.
On Monday night, the Predators-Stars game appeared poised to be played as planned until Johnson requested that the Stars and the AAC not host a game that night. Shortly after the request, the game was officially postponed.
When the Stars do play again, they’ll be looking to snap a five-game losing streak. The Stars have not won a game since Feb. 2 in Columbus and are 1-3-4 since a 4-0-0 start to the season.
The Mavericks played at home Sunday against Portland, but their game Wednesday night vs. Detroit was postponed. The Mavs don’t play at home again until Monday, when they host the Grizzlies.
