The Dallas Stars moved closer to securing home-ice advantage in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a comeback win over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.
Not lost in the happiness surrounding the win, however, was the bad news involving star defenseman Miro Heiskanen.
With just three regular-season games remaining, the team’s top blueliner was forced out of the game early and didn't return.
Heiskanen left the game in the first period after being driven into the boards by the Wild's Ryan Hartman, and his status immediately raised concern.
The 26-year-old defenseman has nine goals and 63 points in 77 games this season, leading all Stars players in assists with 54.
Speaking after the game, Dallas coach Glen Gulutzan said the team will need more time before determining the severity of the injury, leaving the door open for Heiskanen's absence during the start of the playoffs.
“We’ll have (Heiskanen) looked at tomorrow and the next day,” Gulutzan said. “Just looking at it now, I wouldn’t think he’ll be a player on Saturday, but we don’t know until we get him looked at.”
Gulutzan acknowledged the broader concern tied to the timing of the injury.
Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
“I honestly don’t know,” Gulutzan said. “But anytime there’s an injury, especially to your top guys, it’s concerning.”
Given Gulutzan's statement, Heiskanen's availability for the start of the postseason remains unclear.
“We’ll see where it plays out,” Gulutzan said. “We could get great news tomorrow or we could get bad news. I’m just not sure where we’re going to be.”
The entire NHL is off on Friday, with Dallas back in action hosting the Rangers on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET.
