Lian Bichsel hurt as Jets blow out Stars 8-3

The bad news came before Dallas fans had even settled in. Less than 4 minutes into the game, Bichsel's night was over.

Lia Assimakopoulos

@Lassimak

Lian Bichsel gets tangled up with Mark Scheifele and Esa Lindell. He can't put any weight on his left leg as he's helped off the ice. Not good.

It was an ugly pileup. Bichsel got tangled with Mark Scheifele and his own D partner Esa Lindell, all 3 went down, and the 22-year-old Swiss defenseman couldn't get up by himself. He was helped off with no weight on his left leg. The team called it a lower-body injury and ruled him out for the rest of the night. Then came the part that should worry Dallas: the coach didn't sound hopeful after the game.

Lia Assimakopoulos

@Lassimak

Glen Gulutzan said he doesn’t think it’ll be good news for Lian Bichsel.

The Stars were already short. Heiskanen and Kyle Capobianco were out before puck drop, so losing Bichsel left Dallas with 5 healthy defensemen for most of a game against a Jets team that's rolling. Winnipeg scored 5 times in the second period alone. Scheifele, the guy in the collision, had a big night of his own, tying Dale Hawerchuk's franchise points record. CBS Sports reports Bichsel is expected to miss at least 2 games, which means he's out for the weekend back-to-back, and it could go longer once he's fully evaluated.

The goaltending didn't help either. Jake Oettinger got pulled after giving up 6, and Casey DeSmith's relief stint didn't go any better.

Lia Assimakopoulos

@Lassimak

Jake Oettinger made just 21 saves on 27 shots. Casey DeSmith was no better, making no saves on two shots against. Rough, rough night.

Eight goals allowed is the most Dallas has given up all season, and it wasn't close. The players stayed behind after the game and held a players-only meeting that ran at least 10 minutes. Captain Jamie Benn said it was "just something that needed to happen for our group."

Lia Assimakopoulos

@Lassimak

The Stars held a lengthy players-only meeting after tonight’s blowout loss to try to diagnose what allowed for, by far, their worst loss of the season. Their coach says they need a mindset shift. The players say they need more from everyone. ⤵️ t.co/m6RlfKQuoJ

Gulutzan's diagnosis was blunt: "The fix is a mindset." His complaint is that the Stars try to erase a deficit all at once when they fall behind, when they should stick to their game and work their way back. That gets a lot harder without Heiskanen and possibly without Bichsel too. Bichsel is a 6-foot-5 physical presence Dallas has been leaning on more and more. Watch for the official update on his leg and for whoever gets called up to fill out the blue line. Five healthy D-men won't last a back-to-back.