Heika's Take: Bounce-back season

The Stars on Tuesday answered in the way they know best.

They played smart, clean, defensive hockey and were opportunistic in turning that into some key goals. It was the perfect formula to respond to their worst game of the playoffs, and it puts them in an entirely different place than they were just 24 hours ago.

Dallas took a 6-3 win over the Seattle Kraken to even the best-of-seven series at 2-2. The Stars now have home ice, and even more important, the swagger they were lacking after Game 3.

"We were better everywhere than we were the game before and I think that was the goal," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. "When we're playing well, that's what we look like. We're not giving up much, we're putting pressure on the other team. We fixed a lot of things."

The Stars had plenty of hurdles to overcome. One, goalie Jake Oettinger was pulled the game before and had to bounce back from that. Two, defenseman Miro Heiskanen was knocked out from Game 3 from a puck to the face and he had to adjust from that. Three, the Stars defense was mangled the game before and had to fix itself without defenseman Jani Hakanpää and defensive forward Ty Dellandrea, who were both out. And four, they lost forward Mason Marchment during the game to injury and had to play with several strange line rotations.

But they rallied together as a team and fixed everything. Dallas allowed just five shots on goal in both the first and second periods and roared out to a 5-1 lead. They received goals from superstars like Jamie Benn, Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz, and received scoring from depth players like Thomas Harley and Max Domi. Oettinger wasn't perfect, but he had some big saves in getting the win and Heiskanen was downright heroic.

"I was really proud of our group," said DeBoer. "It was a grind out there. You lose Marchment a couple of shifts in, so the bench is short. Jamie Benn left with a poke to the eye for a little bit, so again our bench was short. Miro comes off the injury table with that bad cut, puts a full mask on and played 31 minutes. I'm just really proud by the effort and the compete of our group. I thought that everybody dug in tonight and did a great job."

After falling apart defensively in the absence of Heiskanen last game, the entire team played a much more detailed game on Tuesday. Seattle was able to get five shots on goal in each of the first and second periods, which was key to not only helping Oetinger get back on his feet, but also in creating scoring chances. Benn scored off a wicked shot late in the first period and allowed the Stars to breathe during the first intermission. Both Jason Robertson and Tyler Seguin were unable to finish golden scoring opportunities before that, but the Benn goal created momentum in the second and Harley made it 2-0 on a great transition play at the 4:46 mark.

While Seattle was trying to hang in, everything fell apart for the Kraken midway through the second period. Domi scored from the left wing, and the Kraken challenged for goaltender interference. Benn was tangled up with Seattle goalie Philipp Grubauer, so there was some reason for the challenge. However, Benn was pushed into the goalie and was dancing just outside the crease, so replay officials let the goal stand.

That made it 3-0, and Seattle was handed a two-minute penalty for delay of game. Pavelski scored on the ensuring power play and pushed the lead to 4-0.

Seattle came back and closed the gap to 5-3 with 4:12 left in the third period, but Domi scored an empty netter, and the Stars had a huge win to head home with for Game 5 on Thursday.

"That was a great bounce back for us," Heiskanen said. "We were really good tonight, and that's what we have to do in the next game."

The absence of their best defenseman was a major loss in Game 3, as Dallas seemed out of sorts without Heiskanen. On Thursday, he played 31:02 and set the tone for the entire group of blueliners.

"He's an amazing athlete, ultra-competitive, wants to win," said DeBoer. "And hard minutes, hard minutes tonight. He's done it all year for us, he's one of the best in the word at that position, he's a warrior. That's a nasty gash, he hasn't been able to eat much, probably hasn't slept well, and to show up and play a game like that, that's impressive."

Harley said he's stunned by just how good Heiskanen is.

"He makes it look so easy out there," Harley said. "I'll be on the bench, and he'll do something, and I'll be like, 'Holy crap, how did he do that?' He's the safety blanket. He's just about everything back there for us."

DeBoer added that the defensive commitment can be contagious.

"That's what wins this time of year, and your best players have to lead the way," DeBoer said. "Miro, Joe Pavelski, those guys never cheat for offense. Roope, I would put in that category, too. Those guys are never going to put their offensive game ahead of their defensive responsibilities. And when your best players have that mindset, it bleeds through your group."

Hanley stepped up and played in place of Hakanpää, who was held out because of a lower body injury. The veteran defenseman who played two games in the first round, logged 10:17 and was plus-2. Up front, Joel Kiviranta stepped in for Dellandrea and played 12:32 and had an assist. Domi finished with two goals and an assist, while four other players had two points each.

"This team doesn't have two bad games in a row," Domi said. "We showed that tonight."

And they have showed it throughout the playoffs. After winning Game 4 against Minnesota, Dallas won two more games and closed out the series. They would love to build on this performance and do the same thing, but they know it won't be easy.

"It's huge," said Harley. "We know what we're capable of in this room. We did it last series against Minnesota. We knew what had to be done tonight and we did it."

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Video: DeBoer on Heiskanen's compete level is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter Video: DeBoer on Heiskanen's compete level