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Dallas Stars Daily Links: The Return of Miro

Miro Heiskanen had his first game back on Tuesday after an eleven game absence due to mononucleosis. The expectation was to pay him in “limited” minutes (15-16), but he ended up with 19:56 in ice time:

“He wanted to play more,” [head coach Rick] Bowness said. “We were holding him back. It was a couple of minutes more than we wanted, but he kept telling us, ‘I feel great, I feel great.’ He wanted more ice time, but we’ve been told to watch the minutes.

Heiskanen obviously wasn’t back to 100%, but it sure didn’t look like it — though he was held off the scoresheet, he was one of the most impactful players in the team’s 3-2 win:

“He’s probably our best player still, he’s huge for us,” said forward Tyler Seguin of the impact of a less-than-100 percent Heiskanen. “When you’re back in your own end and the puck is there and Miro’s got it, you’ve got a certain kind of confidence in your head. You’re not putting anyone else down, but when he’s got it, you’re moving maybe sometimes to different areas, just because he has that vision.”

You can read more from Mike Heika here.


Stars Stories

Heiskanen and the rest of the Stars will be taking on the Anaheim Ducks again tonight:

This, uhh, would certainly be a lineup choice the Stars could make:


Around the League

It was a good Wednesday night for the Central Division:

  • It required a shootout, but the Winnipeg Jets prevailed over the Buffalo Sabres, 3-2. [Arctic Ice Hockey]
  • In another close game, the St. Louis Blues edge out the Vancouver Canucks 4-3. [Nucks Misconduct]
  • Finally, the Arizona Coyotes laid a 5-2 smackdown on the San Jose Sharks. [Five For Howling]/

Unfortunately for the Coyotes, the win came at a cost, as Clayton Keller will be out for the remainder of the season:

Heiskanen and the Stars get a little love in Dom Luszczyszyn’s latest 16 stats:

The OHL Cup is back! Here’s who to keep an eye out for:

The NHL Rules Court takes a crack at some new suggestions, some of which are very… interesting:

Finally, Elliotte Friedman talks Eugene Melynk and more in his latest 32 Thoughts:

Talking Points