Mats Zuccarello out four weeks after blocking shot in Stars debut

In his first game with the Dallas Stars, Mats Zuccarello scored a goal, had an assist and then blocked a shot and was forced to leave due to injury.

Mats Zuccarello made a big impression on his new team on Sunday, but he’ll also miss the next four weeks with an injury.

The 31-year-old is expected to be out four weeks after blocking a shot in his Dallas Stars debut on Sunday. You can watch video of the block at the top of this page.

The Stars acquired Zuccarello in a trade on Saturday, sending two conditional draft picks to the New York Rangers in return. In his first game with Dallas, the Oslo native had a goal and an assist with a plus-3 rating in over 13 minutes of ice time. But now he will be unavailable for a large portion of the team’s push to the playoffs.

With a 4-3 win over the Blackhawks on Sunday, the Stars holds on to the first wild card spot in the West, but are being chased by five teams, all seven points or less behind them.

Team captain Jamie Benn also left Sunday’s game after only one shift with an upper-body injury. But according to Sportsnet’s John Shannon, Benn’s injury is minor and he is currently listed as day-to-day.

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