Pavelski out for Game 2 after Dumba hit

Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer said Monday night that Joe Pavelski was "OK" after Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba's hit took him out of Game 1. But Pavelski isn't ready to return to the lineup just yet.

The veteran forward is going through concussion protocol and is improving every day, DeBoer said after the morning skate. Pavelski missed Game 2 on Wednesday as a result, and the bench boss added he isn't certain about the deflection specialist's status for the rest of the series, according to The Athletic's Dane Mizutani.

Going through protocol doesn't mean a player has a concussion; it's testing to determine whether he has one.

The 38-year-old left Monday's game and didn't return after Dumba caught him up high in the second period of Minnesota's 3-2 double-overtime win.

Dumba was initially handed a major penalty for the hit, but the officials wiped it off the board and only assessed him a roughing minor upon review. The league later looked at the hit and reportedly determined supplemental discipline wasn't necessary.

DeBoer mentioned Monday that Pavelski hit his head on the ice as he fell after absorbing the contact from Dumba. He also gave the officials the benefit of the doubt over the incident - unlike Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, who called it a "cheap shot."

Pavelski sustained a previous head injury in 2019 when DeBoer was his bench boss with the San Jose Sharks.