Joe Pavelski injury update: What we know about the Stars forward’s status for Game 6 vs. Wild

Dan Treacy

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Joe Pavelski injury update: What we know about the Stars forward’s status for Game 6 vs. Wild image

The Stars could be getting their top-line winger back soon. 

Dallas forward Joe Pavelski could be returning to the lineup soon. The veteran forward has missed the last four games in the Stars-Wild series due to head injury. 

What was expected to be an entertaining first-round series between Dallas and Minnesota took a huge turn in Game 1. Pavelski took a massive hit from Wild defenseman Matt Dumba in the second period, getting blindsided and going down in a heap.

The hit ignited chaos, as both sides went at it and punches were thrown.

Dumba received a two-minute minor penalty for roughing, but Dallas winger Max Domi was hit with a 10-minute major penalty for retaliating and going after Dumba. 

Pavelski exited the game, and did not return. The Wild went on to win the game 3-2 in double overtime thanks to a game-winning goal from Ryan Hartman. 

Pavelski is seeking his first championship after falling short in the Stanley Cup Final with both the Sharks and Stars. Dallas is currently ahead 3-2 in the series against Minnesota with game 6 set for Friday, April 28. 

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Here's what we know about Pavelski's injury status after the hit by Dumba. 

Is Joe Pavelski playing in Game 6?

Stars coach Peter DeBoer said that Pavelski is "planning on traveling" with the team to Minnesota for Game 6. He stated that he will be a "game-time decision."

Pavelski had entered into concussion protocol as the result of the Dumba hit, so it was not surprising to see the veteran forward missed multiple games. 

When asked about the Dumba hit on Pavelski, DeBoer said he was not going to argue against the officials' decision. 

"We have the best officials in the world," DeBoer said. "They called a five, they reviewed it, which is the right thing to do. If they reviewed it and decided it wasn't a bad hit, then I guess it's not for me to argue with that... We've got to live with that."

Joe Pavelski injury update

In the second period of the Stars-Wild game, Dumba delivered a crushing hit to an unsuspecting Pavelski down low in the Wild zone. 

The right side of Pavelski's body took the brunt of the hit, and he remained down as his teammates brawled with members of the Wild. He was able to get to his knees after about 30 seconds but had to be taken down the tunnel with some help.

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Pavelski had been handling the puck until just before the hit, skating alongside Ryan Hartman before Dumba came in and rocked him. The Stars were leading 2-1 at the time, with Pavelski assisting on Dallas' second goal. 

It's the second time in recent history that Pavelski has been hit up high and forced to leave a playoff game. In 2019, during Pavelski's time with the Sharks, he was involved in the infamous Cody Eakins cross-check play off a faceoff that left Pavelski bloodied and handed the Sharks a five-minute power play late in Game 7 against the Golden Knights. 

San Jose stormed back and eventually won that contest against Vegas to eliminate the Golden Knights in the first round. DeBoer was the Sharks coach at the time, and said that Pavelski was "in a much worse place that time" when comparing the incidents involving Eakins and Dumba. 

Dan Treacy

Dan Treacy Photo

Dan Treacy is a content producer for Sporting News, joining in 2022 after graduating from Boston University. He founded @allsportsnews on Instagram in 2012 and has written for Lineups and Yardbarker.