I'm sure you heard the news already this afternoon, but Miro Heiskanen will not return to the Stars' lineup tonight for game 4. However, he's knocking on the door for a return in game 5 back in Dallas. I know everyone wants him to return to the lineup, including me, but the Stars are doing well without him in the lineup right now, and Pete DeBoer is being smart by keeping him out of the lineup. Holding him out of the lineup will benefit the Stars later in the playoffs.
This season, Miro Heiskanen is the "glue" to the Stars' defense. Heiskanen knows how DeBoer wants his defense run and makes sure everyone on the ice knows what they are doing wrong if they are out of place. He even helps the offense run efficiently, which I'm sure DeBoer is also happy about. However, fans gasped for air when the Stars played the Vegas Golden Knights in Vegas when Mark Stone went into Miro's knee. It seems like a season-ending injury based on how Miro's knee went.
Let's rewind to the playoffs, the Stars have done a good job of turning up the defensive intensity by winning two games in overtime. The Stars can turn up the pressure on the Avalanche by winning game 4 tonight and putting them on the brink of elimination. However, it's smart not to rush out Miro Heiskanen to do that to the Avalanche tonight. The Stars are playing good hockey right now and why would you want to screw up the chemistry?
DeBoer knows that Heiskanen is close to returning to the lineup, and the last thing you want to do is rush him back before he's ready. The Stars will need him if they go up against the Winnipeg Jets in the second round of the playoffs. The last thing they need is for him to get injured against the Avalanche by returning too early. Just let him continue with his recovery and activate him for game 5 later this upcoming week