Dallas Stars head coach Peter DeBoer misses game to have emergency surgery

The Dallas Stars were without head coach Pete DeBoer for Monday night's second preseason game. DeBoer did not travel with the team on their road trip to Denver to take on the Colorado Avalanche, as he had surgery to have his appendix removed, per a report from Mike Heika of DallasStars.com. The medical staff had found a problem with DeBoer's appendix during his annual physical at training camp, necessitating the surgery.

Coaching duties from behind the bench fell to the coaching staff in DeBoer's absence. Assistants Steve Spott, Alain Nasreddine, Misha Donskov, and goaltending coach Jeff Reese ran the bench. For the Stars, it marked their first road preseason game in a six-game slate filled with prospects and NHL regulars. Among those playing on Monday were center Wyatt Johnston, forward Logan Stankoven, and blueliner Nils Lundkvist.

The Stars left with an exciting 3-2 victory, taking their preseason record to 2-0. It was a dramatic win sealed by a defenseman named Lian Bichsel, who scored a last-second goal with 0.2 seconds remaining. Bichsel is the top defensive prospect for the Stars and is fighting for a roster spot this season. His performance might say a lot in his bid.

Dallas erased a 2-1 third-period deficit on goals from Bichsel and forward Arttu Hyry, both of whom could see time in the NHL this season. The leading scorer for the Stars last year, Wyatt Johnston opened the game's scoring during a 5-on-3 power play, cleaning up a rebound from Nils Lundkvist's shot.

The stars' goalies were sound throughout the game. Magnus Hellberg played two periods, stopping 21 of 23 shots, while Remi Poirier made seven saves in the third period to close it out. The Stars return home to host the Minnesota Wild in the next preseason game on Wednesday.