Heika’s Take: Heiskanen’s return, Granlund’s hat trick helps Stars surge to 3-1 series lead

In a lot of ways, Tuesday night at American Airlines Center was an affirmation for the Stars.

Of how hard they have worked to get to this point.

Of how much more work they have to do.

Of how good they could be if they reach their full potential.

Dallas earned a 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets to take a 3-1 lead in the Second Round series. In doing so, the Stars saw defenseman Miro Heiskanen return from an injury absence that began on Jan. 28, one of their trade acquisition depth forwards register a hat trick, and their franchise goalie continue to stand up to a barrage of Jets shots, as well as the pressure that come with being in the center of the storm.

In a lot of ways, they saw just how good they can be if they continue to battle through the adversity that has dogged them all season.

The Stars beat the Colorado Avalanche in the First Round without their top defenseman in Heiskanen and their top goal scorer in Jason Robertson. Robertson returned for Game 1 of this series against the Jets and continues to improve each game. Heiskanen, who had knee surgery in February, played his first game on Tuesday after getting clearance from his surgeon in New York. He had missed the previous 42 games, but played 14:52 and tallied an assist on a key third period power play goal.

It was a baby step, to be sure, but it gave a glimpse of where this team could be headed.

"It's great to have that lineup,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “I mean, just to write that lineup on your board, on your lineup card, to have those options for the first time since January. And really, for the first time ever, because we hadn't made those trades yet. Tonight was the first night we've actually had our full team together, and everyone's still not 100%, but a nice feeling to have. I hope we can keep everybody in a healthy place, we can keep this going for a little bit.”

The outcome of the game could have been a lot different. Dallas played seven defensemen to be cautious about Heiskanen’s return, and there were times the Stars looked a little out-of-sync. Winnipeg finished with a 32-24 advantage in shots on goal and a 72-45 edge in shot attempts. But Jake Oettinger was fantastic, and that allowed Mikael Granlund to step up and be the hero.

While Dallas has seen trade deadline acquisition Mikko Rantanen carry the team in the postseason scoring race with an NHL-leading 19 points (9 goals, 10 assists) in 11 games, Granlund stepped up on this occasion. Brought to the team on Feb. 1 along with defenseman Cody Ceci in a trade with San Jose, Granlund is a talented veteran who has both strong defensive habits as well as sneaky offensive skills. Both were on display Tuesday, as he gave the Stars three key goals that would allow them to hold the lead and never panic.

"He's just a super responsible, 200-foot player. I think he does more in our end, which obviously I love as a goalie,” Oettinger said. “He’s not the most dynamic, and then all of a sudden it's in the back of the net. Really skilled, really good in our end, and you need all-around players like that."

Granlund took a drop pass from Thomas Harley on the power play in the defensive zone and weaved his way through the neutral zone and the Jets defense. He snapped a shot from distance that beat Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck for the all-important 1-0 lead a little over eight minutes into the first period.

The Jets tied the game a minute into the second period, but then Granlund again flexed his scoring skills late in the period to give Dallas a 2-1 lead. Granlund was in on a 2-on-1 with Roope Hintz, looked hard at passing and then snapped a shot past Hellebuyck in transition. Granlund had made the exact same play to beat Sweden in overtime at the 4 Nations Face-Off, so it was definitely something he had in his arsenal.

“When you pass all the time, you know, you’re going to surprise the goalie maybe once in a while to shoot the puck,” Granlund said. “Their D, he went down there, so I didn't know if I'd have a passing lane, so found a spot at the corner there. So yeah, you know it's good to shoot every once in a while.”

Dallas could have tried to sit on the one-goal lead in the third period, but instead played probably its most aggressive hockey of the game. Hintz drew a double minor for high-sticking three minutes into the third period, and Granlund finally cashed in with three seconds left in the power play. Heiskanen collected a long rebound at the point and quickly moved the puck to a wide open no. 64 in the right circle, and the veteran Finn banged home a one-timer for his first career playoff hat trick.

"It was a good third period like the other night,” DeBoer said. “Listen, it's a good formula when you're playing from in front against that team, as opposed to behind. I liked how we handled having the lead all night. We kept our foot on the gas, huge power play goal, big kill at the end there too.”

While battling to overcome the losses of Heiskanen and Robertson in the First Round, several players had to step up. Harley has been leading the defense and Rantanen has been carrying the offense. In that one play, the Stars showed that the cavalry is right there.

Yes, Heiskanen was rusty. Yes, Robertson is still finding his stride. Yes, Granlund had only one goal in 10 playoff games before Tuesday. And yet the Stars still are up 3-1 in the Second Round and one win away from a third consecutive trip to the Western Conference Final. That could be a moment of self-reflection that allows them to look both backward and ahead.

Since he was injured prior to the Stars making trades, Heiskanen had not yet played with Rantanen and Granlund. In that aspect alone, Dallas is now a different team.

“It’s fun for sure,” Heiskanen said. “First time to play with these guys here. It’s great to have them both. Obviously, great players and important pieces of our team. It was fun to play with them and be on the ice with them.”

Now, for the fine tuning.

"It feels great,” said Oettinger. “We feel like when we have everyone, we're going to be a tough out. We got all our guys back healthy and different guys are stepping up every night. We feel like if we play the right way and focus on our net first, we're going to be tough to beat."

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

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.