Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer announced on Friday that rookie defenseman Lian Bichsel will be out for the Stars’ game against Winnipeg. The two teams enter Friday’s matchup in the top two spots in the Central Division. The Jets hold an 8-point lead over the Stars in the standings heading into Friday.

The Winnipeg Jets sent a statement to the Dallas Stars and the rest of the Western Conference in their most recent matchup. In the week since the NHL Trade Deadline, the Jets have faded into the background of the Stanley Cup discussion.

Friday’s night’s game between the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars had all the ingredients of a late-season classic, a division rivalry with playoff implications in front of a sellout crowd. Turned out there was one thing missing: Competition.