Stars defensemen scoring at elite level on Cup Final run, statistics show

NHL.com goes Behind the Numbers to examine trends during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Today, a look at the Dallas Stars defensemen contributing offensively on their way to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Dallas Stars lead the NHL in postseason scoring by defensemen with 53 points (13 goals, 40 assists) in 21 games, seven more than their opponent in the Stanley Cup Final, the Tampa Bay Lightning, whose defensemen have 46 points (13 goals, 33 assists) in 19 games.
Game 1 is at Rogers Place in Edmonton, the hub city for the conference finals and Cup Final, on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS).
Defensemen have combined for 31.2 percent of the Stars' total points (53 of 170) compared to 27.4 percent for the Lightning (46 of 168). Dallas ranks fourth among the 24 teams that qualified for the postseason behind the Washington Capitals (36.1 percent), New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets (each 33.3 percent). Considering the Rangers played three games, the Jets four and the Capitals eight, the contributions from the Stars defensemen carry more weight.
Miro Heiskanen leads Dallas with 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) in 21 games and is fourth in the NHL behind Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and Tampa Bay forward Brayden Point, each tied for second with 25 points, and Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, who is first with 26 points.
A defenseman has not led his team in points in the postseason since 2006, when Chris Pronger scored 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) in 24 games to lead the Edmonton Oilers, who lost the Stanley Cup Final to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games. Forward Jamie Benn is second on the Stars with 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists).

Heiskanen already is in elite company and has at least four games and as many as seven remaining to add to his point total. He needs two points to tie Brent Burns, who scored 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists) in 24 games for the San Jose Sharks in 2016, for the most by a defenseman in a single postseason dating to 1994-95.
John Klingberg also has had a productive postseason with 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in 20 games, tied for third in points among defensemen with Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks (16 in 17 games) and three behind Shea Theodore of the Vegas Golden Knights for second (19 in 20 games).
If their average of 2.52 points per game among defensemen continues, the Stars would be on pace for 70 points at the position if they play the maximum 28 games. That would be the most of any team in the NHL playoffs since Oilers defensemen scored 77 points in 18 games in 1984-85, led by Paul Coffey, who scored 37 points (12 goals, 25 assists) to help Edmonton win the Stanley Cup. Five of the past 10 teams to lead the NHL in playoff points by defensemen have won the Cup.
Most recently, the St. Louis Blues won the Cup when they led the NHL in points by defensemen with 58 (11 goals, 47 assists) in 26 games in the 2019 playoffs. The Capitals won the Cup when they had a League-high 49 points by defensemen (11 goals, 38 assists) in 24 games in 2018. In 2017, the Nashville Predators led the NHL in points by defensemen (53; 14 goals, 39 assists), but the Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins were a close second with 51 points (10 goals, 41 assists) at the position.