Heiskanen, Stars tested against top scorers in the league

The Stars typically try not to focus too much on the opposition from game-to-game, preferring to concentrate on playing their own game as best they can to perfection.
But any game against the Oilers is a little different, as they have the top two scorers in the league and the man many consider to be the best player in the world in Connor McDavid.

McDavid is running away with the NHL scoring lead with 129 points (56 goals, 73 assists) in 68 games. Second is Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl with 100 points (44 goals, 56 assists) in 66 games. This creates all sorts of concerns for the Stars. Dallas has been playing well but is coming off a 5-2 loss to Vancouver on Tuesday. Coach Pete DeBoer said his team will have to play smart and take care of the puck in the neutral zone to help keep chances against down on Thursday.
"It's everything when you've got McDavid on the ice," DeBoer said. "He can beat you all kinds of different ways, but you don't want to hand him stuff for free. He's more than willing to take that and jam it you know where, so we're going to try to avoid that."

McDavid has 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists) in 17 games against Dallas, including a goal and an assist in two games this season. However, the Stars have found a way to balance that out with some scoring of their own (nine goals in two games against Edmonton this year), as well as strong defensive play from Miro Heiskanen, who has been solid in 10 career games against the Oilers.
Heiskanen will likely get a lot of ice time tonight and said it's important to be aware of both McDavid and Draisaitl.
"You have to know when he's on the ice," Heiskanen said. "When he gets the puck, the best player in the world can make plays. You have to be ready for that and stay close to him and take away time and space as good as you can."

Heiskanen said he likes to play against high level talent.
"It's always a challenge to play against them, but at the same time it's fun," Heiskanen said. "We have to be ready and know when they're on the ice."
Stars newcomer Max Domi has been friends with McDavid for a while and laughed when he was asked if he has seen some of McDavid's exploits.
"Oh yeah, I've seen it. I think we all have," Domi said. He's the best player in the world for a reason."

Like Heiskanen, Domi said battling with a talent like McDavid is fun, but you always want to come out on top.
"He's a guy I've known for a long time, and I have a lot of respect for him," Domi said. "It's fun to see him as a hockey fan, too. I think we're all fans of the game, but tonight I won't be a fan of his, for sure. We've got to play him hard."
The Stars are in the middle of a six-game road trip and went 3-0-0 in the first three games before hitting a bump on Tuesday, playing on the second night of a back-to-back. Jake Oettinger will be back in goal tonight, and DeBoer said he's looking for a good answer from his team. Dallas is 20-9-5 on the road and has not lost consecutive road games since October.
"We've been a good road team. We've been a good response team," DeBoer said. "The game in Vancouver didn't go how we wanted to. I think the first three games of the trip, we played more to our identity, and we've got to get back to that. Our group knows that, and our response has been good most of the year."
Key Numbers
74
The Oilers lead the NHL in power play success rate at 31.4 percent, but it's even bigger than that. They have 74 power play goals. Second place Tampa Bay has 60. Dallas ranks third in penalty kill success rate at 83.0 percent.
72
Edmonton leads the league in first period goals at 72. Dallas is third at 70.
54.6 percent
Dallas leads the NHL in shorthanded faceoff winning percentage at 54.6 percent. Edmonton ranks 16th in power play winning percentage at 55.5 percent.
He said it
"I think it's a good thing. There's no time to take a breath. You have to be at your best every night, so I think that's a good thing for us right now."
- Heiskanen when asked if the strong play at the top of the Western Conference increases intensity for his team. The top four teams in the Western Conference are divided by four points right now.
Expected lineup
Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski
Benn-Johnston-Dadonov
Marchment-Domi-Dellandrea
Kiviranta-Glendening-Olofsson
Heiskanen-Miller
Lindell-Hakanpää
Suter-Hanley
Oettinger
Murray
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 Twitter @MikeHeika.