HIGHLIGHTS
- The Dallas Stars could be getting a major piece back for Game 4
- Miro Heiskanen could play for the first time since late January
- Read on for the full story
The Dallas Stars could have a massive piece back in the lineup for Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night.
Miro Heiskanen, who has been sidelined since January 28 due to injury, will likely play if his morning skate goes well.
Via John Bartlett:
This is major news for the Stars, who currently have a 2-1 series lead. Heiskanen is widely considered one of the team’s best players and one of the top defencemen in the NHL. The Finnish superstar suffered a knee injury when he collided with Vegas Golden Knights standout Mark Stone in late January. He had surgery a week later.
Jason Robertson was also on the shelf for the first round, but he’s played in all three games versus Winnipeg so far. Before this series began, Stars head coach Pete DeBoer expressed how proud he was of Dallas for taking down a very good Colorado Avalanche team without Robertson and Heiskanen:
“You take two key players out of anybody’s lineup, and your team looks different. What I liked about it was, we look different, but we found a way, and that’s the most important part,” DeBoer said. “To take the two guys out of our lineup, and what they mean to us in every facet of how we play, and still find a way for the group to not use it as an excuse and keep battling and to grind. I couldn’t be prouder of our group because we had to do it a different way.”
Heiskanen had five goals and 20 assists during the regular season across 50 games. DeBoer said they will be smart with his minutes:
“We’re not going to put him out on the ice for 30 minutes his first game back in three months,” DeBoer said Monday. “We’ll have to be smart about that.”
Puck drop for Game 4 is scheduled for 8 PM ET.
