Harley stepping up, playing big minutes to help Stars get 1 win from West 2nd Round

DALLAS -- The Dallas Stars have been riding their Harley in the Western Conference First Round.

Thomas Harley leads the Stanley Cup Playoffs in average ice time at 28:39, and his 16 blocked shots are tied for first with Devon Toews of the Colorado Avalanche. The defenseman is tied for the Dallas lead in goals with two and tied for second in points with four.

He's a big reason the Stars lead the Avalanche 3-2 in the best-of-7 series and can eliminate them in Game 6 at Ball Arena in Denver on Thursday, even though Miro Heiskanen, their No. 1 defenseman, has been out because of a knee injury.

"Playing this much is a challenge, but it's fun," Harley said. "Hopefully I can continue to stay fresh and play well."

The 23-year-old took a leap forward this season.

He was headed for vacation when Canada called to make him an emergency addition during the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Not only did he jump into a best-on-best tournament, but he jumped into a wild Canada-United States game at Bell Centre in Montreal on Feb. 15. He had three blocked shots in 18:17 of ice time in a 3-1 loss.

Then he played in the rematch, the championship game at TD Garden in Boston on Feb. 20. He had an assist and two blocked shots in 21:56 of ice time in a 3-2 overtime win.

"It was the best thing, I think, [that] ever happened to him and our team," said Stars coach Pete DeBoer, an assistant for Canada during the tournament. "I remember going in, and he was on the bubble, and he actually went into the 4 Nations break … I thought he was just playing OK. He looked a little worn down, so I thought, 'You know what? Maybe it's for the best to get a break here and take a couple weeks off.'

"And then when he got called in, with the way he performed, it was almost like a switch flipped within him, like, 'Hey, I can play at this level with these guys and be effective.' When he came back, I mean, he was at a different level. His game went to a whole different level. It was like the League really slowed down for him and he had a great confidence to his game.

"And honestly, with Miro out, if he doesn't fill that hole with the level of play he did, we might not be sitting here."

Harley had 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in his first 16 games after 4 Nations. He finished the regular season with NHL career highs in goals (16), assists (34) and points (50) in 78 games.

"The first half of the year, I think I was not playing as well as I am now but still doing a lot of good things, a lot of the same things," Harley said. "Just wasn't quite getting rewarded for it the same way.

"And then 4 Nations happened. It's a confidence boost, for sure. Come back to the NHL, and it's just a little bit slower. Made plays, and point production took off. Power play took off. When you're feeling good you play better, and it kind of steamrolls from there."

Heiskanen led Dallas in average ice time (25:10) before he left the lineup Jan. 31. At that point, Harley was second (22:29). From that point forward, Harley led the Stars at 24:53. His workload has increased further in the playoffs.

In Game 1, the Stars called timeout during a power play. DeBoer said they had one power-play defenseman with Heiskanen out and gave Harley a breather so they could take advantage of the rest of the man-advantage. It paid off when center Roope Hintz deflected Harley's shot for a power-play goal that cut Colorado's lead to 2-1. Harley had an assist and six blocked shots, and was a minus-1 playing 27:34 in a 5-1 loss.

In Game 2, Harley scored a goal and was plus-2 in 35:54 in a 4-3 overtime win, and in Game 3, he had an assist and two blocked shots playing 29:47 of a 2-1 overtime win. The day after Game 3, Makar said he noticed the effect of 4 Nations on Harley.

"He's definitely gotten better," Makar said. "I think it benefits everybody to play in a competition like that, myself included."

Game 4 was rough for Harley. Makar turned him inside out on a rush and hit a post. Forward Logan O'Connor swiped the puck from him at the point, streaked down the ice and scored short-handed to give Colorado a 1-0 lead. Harley had five blocked shots and was minus-2 in 23:58 of a 4-0 loss.

But DeBoer was not concerned.

"The one thing about Thomas Harley -- and the reason that he was able to do what he did at the 4 Nations and basically come off vacation mode and step into a Canada-U.S. game in Montreal on Saturday night -- is because he has an unflappability and a confidence to his own game," DeBoer said the morning of Game 5. "He's harder on himself than we can be.

"There's never a time you walk up to him with a computer and a clip, and he doesn't already know what happened or what he could have done better. That's I think what is going to make him a great player."

Sure enough, Harley rebounded in Game 5. He scored a goal, had three blocked shots and was plus-2 in 26:00 of a 6-2 win.

"I think [it's] just how level-headed he is," Stars goalie Jake Oettinger said. "He doesn't get too anxious or worried about messing up. He's just a good dude, super chill, loves to play hockey, and he's a heck of a player.

"He's stepped up big time. I think he's showed that even when Miro's back he deserves to play a ton and be relied on."