Jason Robertson is a game-time decision and could return for the Dallas Stars against the Winnipeg Jets in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round at Canada Life Centre on Wednesday (9:30 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN).
Initially considered week to week with a lower-body injury, the 25-year-old forward led Dallas with 35 goals in 82 regular-season games and was second with 80 points, behind forward Matt Duchene (82).
“He’s our best goal-scorer, probably Mikko (Rantanen) aside,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said of Robertson. “But also what you realize with ‘Robo,’ he’s a big body and he plays a heavy game, a playoff-type game; he's hard on pucks, he protects pucks, he goes to scoring areas on the ice, he’s good on the walls.
“We’ve missed him since he’s been out. That’s a nice add for us if we can get him back in.”
The Stars were without Robertson and defenseman Miro Heiskanen in the first round, when they defeated the Colorado Avalanche in seven games. Following a 4-2 win in Game 7 on Saturday, DeBoer said each player was expected to return at some point during the second round, though he wasn’t sure when that would be. DeBoer wasn’t asked Tuesday about Heiskanen’s availability for Game 1.
Each player skated Monday and practiced Tuesday, when Robertson was at right wing on the third line with left wing Mason Marchment and center Wyatt Johnston.
“You take two key players out of anybody's lineup and your team looks different," DeBoer said after the first round. "What I liked about it was, we look different but we found a way, and that's the most important part.
"To take the two guys out of our lineup, and what they mean to us in every facet of how we play, and still find a way for the group to not use it as an excuse and keep battling and to grind, I couldn't be prouder of our group because we had to do it a different way.”
Heiskanen will not play Wednesday; he sustained a knee injury when he collided with Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone during a 4-3 overtime win Jan. 28 and missed the final 32 games of the regular season after having surgery Feb. 4. The initial timeline for his recovery was 3-4 months. The 25-year-old had 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) in 50 games; his average ice time of 25:10 per game was the fifth-most among NHL defensemen.
“When you lose two guys like that, that are as important to our team as those two guys are, not many teams are getting through that,” Johnston said. “I think it just shows the resiliency and the depth that we have. Everyone had to step up and cover those holes. It was awesome. Hopefully we get them back as soon as possible, because even though we can help try to fill those holes, they’re two amazing players.”
NHL.com staff writer Tracey Myers contributed to this report
