Cockpit smoke forces Dallas Stars airplane back to airport
The Dallas Stars had some airplane troubles, as they were forced to turn around shortly after taking off thanks to cockpit smoke.
One could say the Dallas Stars have been a very unlucky team this season. Expected to be among the top teams in the NHL, they find themselves out of a playoff spot. Their issues trickled off the ice, as their team airplane had cockpit smoke and was forced to return to the St. Louis Downtown airport just five minutes after departing. Luckily, nobody got hurt. The Stars were able to take a different airplane as they travel to face the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.
"St. Louis Downtown Airport Fire Department Chief Mike Mavrogeorge said the smoke might have been caused by an electrical issue, but that there was no fire. The fire department shut off electricity to the plane. Maintenance crews were inspecting the plane while another was on the way to take the Stars to Los Angeles in time for Monday’s game."
Thankfully, the Stars are alright and should be able to focus on Monday’s game against the Kings. Dallas is four points out of a playoff spot after nearly making it to the Western Conference Finals last season.
Their issues shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. As a duo, Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi have a .899 save percentage. This gives the Stars the fourth worst team save percentage in the league. Last season, they had the second worst team save percentage in the NHL (.901). Combine that with various injuries and losses to their blue line, and Dallas is in real danger of missing the postseason.
The Stars put a lot of faith in their young defensemen. They let Alex Goligoski, Jason Demers, and Kris Russell leave in free agency. However, those young defensemen haven’t been able to replace them.