Need someone to take over a playoff series? The Stars may need to look no further than Miro Heiskanen - The Dallas Morning News

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Miro Heiskanen has very clearly been the Stars’ top defensemen during the playoffs, entering Thursday night’s Game 2 against Calgary.

The questions that follow are slightly more ambitious. Has Heiskanen been the Stars’ best player overall? And has Heiskanen been the best defenseman in the NHL during Dallas’ four postseason games (three during the round robin and a Game 1 loss to the Flames)?

Yes. And maybe.

Heiskanen has five assists for the Stars in four games, making him the only Dallas player with more than two points and one of six NHL defensemen with five points. He’s led the team by averaging 23:50 of ice time a game and has been a bright spot — except against Colorado — in an otherwise inconsistent Stars playoff run thus far that has led them into a 1-0 series deficit against Calgary.

It’s not surprising, but Heiskanen has been jumping into the rush more than any other Stars defenseman, just like the coaching staff preached in training camp. He’s been active pinching down in the offensive zone to keep the puck alive and generate offense, and helped set up Denis Gurianov’s Game 1 goal Tuesday afternoon. Of course, he’s also displayed his defensive stickwork dispossessing opposing players.

During Game 1, he led the Stars with eight shot attempts and five shots on goal. He set up Gurianov for a chance early that went off the post, and dished to Tyler Seguin when he sent one wide.

“I think I’m more confident right now than when I was when I got here [two years ago],” Heiskanen said. “Of course, maybe a little bit stronger now than when I got here. It’s a big help for me, yeah, that I got stronger and can hold to the puck more and try to make plays, give good passes, try to shoot a lot.”

Heiskanen’s greatness receives a different shine now. With Seguin and Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov and John Klingberg not producing much, the responsibility to carry the Stars through the playoffs may fall to the 21-year-old.

He doesn’t have the nine-figure contract (not yet, at least) or the decade of past performance, but the expectations have risen so much for Heiskanen that he is the Stars’ best candidate for taking over a game, or taking over a series. Perhaps the load shouldn’t fall on a player who has been able to legally drink for a month, but it’s the situation the Stars have put themselves in with the disappearance of Benn and Seguin.

It’s strange to hear Heiskanen say he got more confident that when he arrived, especially because his second shift in the NHL was an array of shimmies, head fakes and effortless skating. And it’s flawed to think that his playoff performance this season is a fluke given that his first career postseason game ended with a goal and an assist.

The argument for his lofty rank among all NHL defensemen begins with his ability to control play, and his pairing with Jamie Oleksiak formed one of the most effective defensive pairs in the league.

According to Money Puck, the Stars controlled 60.5% of expected goals at 5 on 5 with Oleksiak-Heiskanen on the ice, third-best in the league among pairs with at least 300 minutes. No pair in the NHL prevented high-danger chances like Oleksiak-Heiskanen (1.71 per 60 minutes).

This postseason, the Stars have owned 63.6% of shots on goal with the pair on the ice, the second-best mark in the NHL among remaining teams, according to Natural Stat Trick.

With Heiskanen on the ice this postseason, the possession poor Stars control shot attempts 19.1% more, the highest figure in the NHL.

Oleksiak said he’s learned to simply give Heiskanen open ice to skate into since he’ll be all over the rink during games.

“I think letting him make those plays and making sure that he has the puck and he has room out there is huge,” Oleksiak said. “Definitely doesn’t impress me to see how much he’s improved upon each game and in these playoffs in general.

“Miro’s so involved all over the ice. The more I play with him, I’ve kind of been able to read when he’s going to jump up, when he’s going to make plays on the blue line. I just want to get him the puck and make sure he has room to move and be an option for him if he needs it.”

Find more Stars stories from The Dallas Morning News here.

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Need someone to take over a playoff series? The Stars may need to look no further than Miro Heiskanen - The Dallas Morning News
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