Monday practice update: Lehtonen to start vs. Sharks

The big news out of practice in Frisco today is that Kari Lehtonen will get the start in goal tomorrow against San Jose.

“He’s had a good couple weeks with us now and he’s getting more familiar and, more importantly, conditioning-wise he’s ready to get the start and we’re going to give him the opportunity,” Stars coach Marc Crawford said. “We’re hoping he comes in and plays a strong game.”

This will be Lehtonen’s second start with the Stars. The first one was a 6-3 loss at Pittsburgh on March 6 when he looked rusty and showed some signs of fatigue as the game moved along.

“I think I am more ready now than I was in Pittsburgh,” said Lehtonen. “Now I just need to go out there and help this team. I am confident I can do that.”

As for defenseman Nicklas Grossman, he practiced today and Crawford said it looks like he is ready to return from a back injury, but there won’’t be definitive word on his status for the San Jose game until tomorrow morning. 

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