“We’ve got to win in this building,” Winnipeg head coach Scott Arniel said before returning to the American Airlines Center for Game 4 against the Dallas Stars. With the Jets trailing the best-of-seven-game series 1-2, today’s match will be crucial for Arniel’s boys to even the odds. However, it looks like the task is easier said than done.

Game 3 between the Central Division giants was filled with controversial moments thanks to the Jets’ netminder Connor Hellebuyck‘s controversial antics. But as the next bout of the series arrives, it looks like the top seed of the 2024-25 NHL season needs to pull up its socks even better, with the Dallas Stars receiving a major boost.

In an X post from May 13, the official ESPN account revealed that the Stars’ top defenseman, Miro Heiskanen, was set to make his comeback after being away from the action since January. “The Dallas Stars have activated defenseman Miro Heiskanen from IR, the team announced on Tuesday,” reads the sonorous caption of ESPN’s post. In a match in late January, the Vegas Golden Knights’ Mark Stone tripped and fell on Heiskanen’s leg, which required knee surgery.

The Garage Playbook hailed the Dallas Stars’ blue line veteran as “one of the NHL’s best!” as it noted its excitement to see Heiskanen’s back in his natural habitat. The 25-year-old Finn missed the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off and had to sit out the remainder of the regular season since January 28, when a big hit from the Golden Knights’ Mark Stone left his with a knee injury. Now with him back in the fold, Dallas head coach Pete DeBoer will have a major boost in confidence, especially with the stakes being higher than ever.

Since his injury, the Fin missed 32 regular-season and 10 playoff games. Before being forced to the sidelines, Miro had amassed 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) in his 50 games in his seventh season with the Dallas Stars. More importantly for Dallas, Heiskanen is a skater who is used to setting the playoffs stage on fire, having scored 61 points in 85 career playoff games. That being said, it looks like DeBoer is erring on the side of caution with the defenseman.

The Stars’ coach went with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen for Game 4 (as compared to the usual 12 forwards and 6 defensemen) against the Jets. That would make it seem like the Dallas coach is focused on ensuring that his star defender doesn’t have to pull too much weight on his first day back at the office. But his colleagues are confident: the Finnish hockey star won’t be fazed. In fact, the Stars’ goalie Jake Oettinger, who’s glad to have the Fin in front of him, went so far as to say that Heiskanen is “Best defenseman in the NHL in my opinion.”

However, while Heiskanen’s absence did hit hard, it’s not like the Dallas Stars looked too shabby without him either.

The Dallas Stars didn’t lose their way without their star defender

“It’s a different group, obviously, without Miro in there,” DeBoer admitted before Game 2 of the Western Conference Round 2. For obvious reasons, having your blue line stalwart out of the team for so long is never a good thing. And yet, the Stars managed to finish the regular season in second place in the Central Division with 106 points.

In the postseason, Dallas has also been spectacular so far. In the first round, the Stars ousted the Avalanche after a thrilling series that went all the way to the seventh game. And it was a former Colorado star, Mikko Rantanen, who was the architect of the Avs’ woes. Naturally, fans at his former camp weren’t happy. And yet, the 28-year-old winger could hardly slow down as he continued bagging more milestone achievements.

Heading into Game 4, Rantanen, who came into the Stars’ locker room in March, had 17 points in his last six postseason games with nine goals and eight assists. “He’s such a great player…It’s great to be on the same side, and hopefully he keeps going,” Mikael Granlund said of his teammate. Now, with Rantanen’s offensive prowess being backed by Miro’s defensive capabilities, will the Dallas Stars be able to end their drought and win their first Stanley Cup since 1999? What do you think?

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