DALLAS -- The Anaheim Ducks were still processing through the fact that they won't have Stephane Robidas in these playoffs anymore after he fractured his right leg early in the second period of Monday's Game 3.
But it means they need a replacement. One strong possibility is a longtime teammate of Robidas' in former Star Mark Fistric.
“Heartbreaking," Fistric said when asked about Robidas' injury. "I’ve been a teammate of Robi’s for a lot of years and I look up to him as a mentor and he means the world to me. As a young guy coming into the organization in Dallas, he showed me a lot and he taught me a lot. The injury itself is tough to swallow as an athlete and as a friend and teammate, but for it to happen another time, it’s not a great thing to see obviously and my heart goes out to him and his family. I know they were there and it’s not an easy thing to go through.”
For coach Bruce Boudreau, Robidas' injury forces him to dig into the depth at defense. Fistric is a logical possibility now that he's gone through some rehab games and is fully ready to go.
“It’s been long, frustrating, but had a lot of good people surrounding me, helping me out and I feel really good now," Fistric said. "If I’m called upon, I’m ready.”
Boudreau noted that Fistric's physical play and the fact that he knows the Stars and American Airlines Center are in his favor. But the coach added that Luca Sbisa and Sami Vatanen were two other possibilities.
"We hate losing Robi because he was a real steady force back there," Boudreau said. "The thing about this team is we’ve rebounded from injuries all year. As you guys know, the first half of the year we had the most injuries and we just kept playing through it because we had good depth."
