Another Game 4, another special night of playoff hockey. Stuart Skinner made last night’s Edmonton Oilers vs. Vegas Golden Knights Game 4 special after earning his shutout victory since April 16. However, tonight, all eyes are on Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who has been out of action for far longer than Skinner’s previous shoutout win. In fact, the fan favorite defenseman has been out for three and a half months, or a whopping 42 games. So, what happened?

Coincidentally, Heiskanen’s injury also has a Golden Knights connection. That’s because on January 28th, the defenseman suffered a leg injury when Mark Stone slipped and hit his left leg. While it may not sound like your typical NHL injury, it was serious enough to force Heiskanen to take help in getting off the ice. The fans couldn’t shake off the unease as he limped out of sight down the tunnel. Unfortunately, Coach Peter DeBoer confirmed their worst fear.

Initially, being out on a week-to-week basis, the Finnish defenseman couldn’t represent his country at the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off in February. But things only got worse as the Finnish defenseman had to undergo a knee surgery and was placed the long-term injury reserve (LTIR) that freed up enough cap space for the Stars to sign Miko Rantanen from the Hurricanes. That’s how it stayed, before murmurs of the 25-year-old’s return became a buzz among the community. What’s more? Coach DeBoer poured fuel into that fire.

“I’m still sticking by what I projected: that we would see him in the second round,” coach Peter DeBoer said after an optional practice ahead of tonight’s game. And guess what? That’s exactly what’s happened. And he couldn’t return at a better time. The Dallas Stars are locked in a heated second-round playoff battle with the Winnipeg Jets.

And although the Jets are on the back foot in the series, if their resilience in Round 1 against the St. Louis Blues is any indication, you can’t count the Jets out till that final buzzer. Remember the buzzer-beater that ended the Blues’ Stanley Cup dreams this season? That being said, Miro Heiskanen’s return brings nothing but good things for Dallas.

Why Miro Heiskanen’s return is a big deal

The 25-year-old got a huge welcome from the fans at the American Airlines Center as he skated onto the ice. Heiskanen had also posed with his fellow Finnish stars of the Dallas Stars, who posted that snapshot on social media just ahead of Game 4. “For the first time, our new Finnish Mafia is at full strength,” the Texas-based NHL team posted.

Miro Heiskanen joined Esa Lindell, Mikael Granlund, Roope Hintz, and, for the first time, Miko Rantanen. It was a huge moment for the stars as a team. After all, Rantanen, who joined the team when Heiskanen was out with his knee injury, proved himself the difference-maker for the Stars in the playoffs with his back-to-back hat-trick performances, helping them to get the lead over Winnipeg.

While Rantanen played against Heiskanen for years as a Colorado Avalanche forward, he is well aware of the defenseman’s skills. “He’s such a good skater, smart player, rarely makes mistakes. He’s very good at breaking the puck out, and joins the rush, and (he’s) obviously hard to defend on the blue line because of the way he moves,” explained Rantanen.

After all this praise, how could Miro Heiskanen disappoint? So he didn’t. The 25-year-old reminded everyone exactly why his comeback was such a big deal. The defenseman picked up his first point after sitting out 42 games, helping fellow Finnish star Mikael Granlund complete his hat-trick in their 3-1 win against the Jets. Moving forward, his return will also aid the Stars’ defensive line, taking the load off Thomas Harley (27:11 average time on ice) and Esa Lindell (25:00 average time on ice).