First Shift 🏒
The Stars have some more juggling to do before they can get to their first-round playoff series with Minnesota next week.
Dallas put itself in great position to get home ice in that series after forging a 5-4 win over the Wild at American Airlines Center Thursday. However, they lost defenseman Miro Heiskanen to a lower body injury, and that adds to a list that already includes: Roope Hintz, Radek Faksa, Sam Steel, Michael Bunting and Nathan Bastian.
Bunting might return Saturday against the Rangers, but the Stars also could be missing defensemen Nils Lundkvist (illness) and Myers (lingering injury). That means head coach Glen Gulutzan could be putting in all three of his depth defensemen for not only the next game, but maybe a few.
“We’ve kind of had this planned,” Gulutzan said. “We’d like to get some other guys in, and we could be forced to with some of the injuries. We’ll get everybody in. All of the forwards have gotten in, so it’s just the D now.”
The Stars have juggled their lines and even gone with 11 forwards and seven defensemen because of the injuries to the forward. But, they also have been able to learn more about players like Arttu Hyry, Cameron Hughes and Adam Erne. Among the leaders Thursday was the line of Colin Blackwell with Hughes and Oskar Bäck. That’s a fantastic sign for the team, and also a great challenge to those who are returning. If you want to get into the lineup, you need to be better than the guys who are there.
On defense, Lundkvist and Myers likely have the lead on starting Game 1, but Ilya Lyubushkin, Kyle Capobianco and Alexander Petrovic have experience and could easily step in. Either Capobianco or Petrovic might play Saturday.
“You stick to the routine,” Petrovic said of preparing to play when you are a healthy scratch. “All of the work we have been doing, doing extra stuff on the ice and in the gym, it helps us hopefully be ready when our name is called.”
Petrovic, 34, played much of the past six seasons in the minors, but he was great in the playoffs last season, logging 17 games. That earned him a place on the NHL roster and he has played 52 games this year. But he had just two appearances since February 2, and that means there is some work to be done here.
But that goes for a lot of the players.
Heiskanen got tangled up in a hit along the boards Thursday and left the game. He had an MRI Friday, and the results could be announced Saturday. If Heiskanen can’t play, the team definitely needs to look at Petrovic and Capobianco.
“It’s good, just to hear our guys talking, they still are pretty focused on day to day,” Gulutzan said when asked if it feels like the playoffs have already begun. “I think that’s one thing we have done a good job of – just staying day to day all year. We’ve got three games left and they’re staying in the moment.”