Miro Heiskanen may be headed for another night out, and the Dallas Stars are preparing accordingly.
Head coach Glen Gulutzan told NHL.com’s Robert Tiffin that Heiskanen is “doubtful” for Saturday’s matchup with the San Jose Sharks. The defenseman already missed Thursday’s loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets after leaving Tuesday’s game early with an upper-body injury, and that absence snapped his streak of appearing in every Dallas game this season.
Without Heiskanen on Thursday, the Stars leaned on Thomas Harley and Nils Lundkvist as their top defensive pair in a shootout loss. The two were on the ice for one goal-for and no goals-against.
Rookie Trey Taylor also got a look, sliding into the third pair alongside Tyler Myers and logging 10 minutes. It was only the second NHL game of Taylor’s career.
He has four points in nine AHL games this season and remains on the Dallas roster, with a chance to play in his third NHL game if Heiskanen sits again Saturday.
Toronto may be getting a key piece back. John Tavares is expected to return to the Maple Leafs’ lineup on Saturday after missing the last nine games with a lower-body injury, according to NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy. Before getting hurt, Tavares had seven points in seven games.
His absence forced Zack MacEwen and Nick Paul further up Toronto’s center depth chart, while reigning first-overall pick Gavin McKenna moved onto the top power-play unit. With Tavares back, both of those players will slide down.
McKenna is set to become the focal point of the second power-play group as he looks to add to his 11 points in 17 games to open his NHL career. Toronto went 5-4-0 and averaged 3.78 goals per game without Tavares, and his return could give an offense that’s starting to click another lift.
Minnesota is also waiting on a pair of familiar names. The Wild will be without brothers Nick Foligno and Marcus Foligno for Friday’s game against San Jose, but head coach John Hynes told play-by-play broadcaster Joe O’Donnell that both could be back Saturday.
The brothers have played only three and four games this season, respectively, and neither has suited up since October 8th. Both are working back from upper-body injuries.
When they return, they’ll settle back into Minnesota’s depth chart and likely push Nico Sturm and Tyler Pitlick out of the daily lineup.
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Zach Werenski gave the Jackets a much-needed jolt with his first goal of the season, helping drag the game back to even when it mattered most. Cam Talbot did the rest of the heavy lifting, coming up with several key saves and then staying sharp when the game went to the skills competition, the kind of late-game steadiness Columbus has been looking for as it works its way back to .500. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Need More From Conor Garland Than Theyre Getting
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For a club that expected more offensive pop from Garland, the issue is not just whether he can finish chances, but whether he can settle into a spot that lets him drive play consistently. The contract situation only sharpens the focus on what comes next, because Columbus has committed to him for the long haul and needs a better return than what it has seen so far. With competition for ice time tightening, the Blue Jackets are waiting to find out whether that recent assist is the start of a turnaround or just a brief interruption in a frustrating stretch. [Read more 🡒]