Mrazek starts for Hurricanes after missing 31 games with broken thumb

Petr Mrazek made his long-awaited return to the Carolina Hurricanes' crease Sunday against the Dallas Stars.

The Hurricanes confirmed he would start in amusing fashion shortly before puck drop.

Mrazek blanked the Stars, turning aside all 28 shots he faced in a 1-0 victory.

The 29-year-old missed 31 games after fracturing his thumb during a win over the Stars on Jan. 30. Alex Nedeljkovic performed admirably and James Reimer also shouldered part of the workload in Mrazek's absence.

Mrazek underwent thumb surgery in early February. He stopped 43 of the 45 shots he faced while on a conditioning stint with the AHL's Chicago Wolves on Thursday.

He got off to an excellent start to the 2021 season before suffering the injury in his fourth game of the campaign. Mrazek posted a .955 save percentage and a pair of shutouts in that quartet of contests.

The veteran netminder is in his third season with the Hurricanes. He's a pending unrestricted free agent, as is Reimer.