Heiskanen 'looks good' for Game 4

Miro Heiskanen is expected to play in Game 4, and that's good news for everyone.

Especially for Jake Oettinger.

Heiskanen took a puck to the face early in the second period in Game 3 and had to leave the game. With Heiskanen out of the lineup, Oettinger struggled, and the Stars took a 7-2 loss. While Heiskanen still is listed as a game-time decision for Game 4, he skated with a full bubble in the morning and looks like he should return to the lineup.

"I would call him game-time, but it looks good," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said after morning skate. "He's got a bad cut that we'll protect with a bubble, but other than that there's nothing else. He's worn one his whole life growing up in junior and world junior, so it's not a big issue."

The "bubble" is a clear face shield that goes all the way down to the chin. Heiskanen's cut is on his cheek, and it didn't look to be bothering him in the morning. The injury put the Stars in a whirl during Game 3, and they never were able to come out of it. Oettinger was maybe the most affected as he was standing next to Heiskanen when the defenseman was struck and collapsed to the ice. Oettinger turned to look at Heiskanen, and Jordan Eberle popped in a loose puck for the first goal of the game. The Kraken then scored four more times for a 5-1 lead after two periods, and Oettinger was pulled from the game.

DeBoer said the team has to find ways to respond better, and said he expects that tonight.

When Oettinger has taken a loss this season, he is quick to bounce-back and has gone 21-1-3 in the next game. That's partly because of his ability to lean on his technical game and because of his strong metal approach, DeBoer said.

"He's got that mental toughness and resolve that I think all great goalies have," DeBoer said. "That's really important to stop the bleeding, so to speak. I think he takes it personally, and he's been lights out in that situation in my time here."

Oettinger said he relishes the chance to get back in and wipe away the last game.

"I feel really confident that I can shake that off," Oettinger said. "The sun comes up the next day, so just enjoy it. That's the nice thing about playoff hockey is I got pulled last game and less than 48 hours, I'm going to be in that crease again."

Oettinger said having Heiskanen back in is a huge help. Seattle has a very strong forecheck, and the communication between a goalie and his defensemen is critical in getting the puck out cleanly.

"They're so fast and they come at you in waves," Oettinger said. "When I do handle it, I've got to put it on our D's tape and put it in a good spot. If I can get it to our D quickly, we can break it out and that means less time in our zone."

He joked that Heiskanen makes everything look good when he's handling the puck. Oettinger said that when he sends a puck to the skates of goalie coach Jeff Reese during practice, he tells the coach that Heiskanen could have handled it.

"Sometimes when I throw a puck in Reecer's feet when I'm practicing, I say that Miro would have been able to handle that." Oettinger said. "He can do anything back there and I'm just happy that injury wasn't serious and he can play tonight."

DeBoer also is going to put Joe Pavelski back on the top line, and that should be something to watch. The line of Pavelski with Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson is one of the top lines in the NHL, but when Pavelski was knocked out of Game 1 against Minnesota, Tyler Seguin stepped in and played well. When Pavelski came back for the Seattle series, he had five goals in the first two games playing on a line with Max Domi and Evgenii Dadonov, so DeBoer kept them together. But it seems time to put the top line back together.

"They have a great track record as one of the best lines in the league," DeBoer said. "Seggy went in and did a great job against Minnesota. Pavs came back and scored in the first two games in this series with Domi and Marchment, so that gave us the luxury of kind of spreading things out a little bit. But we have lost two of the three and we're going back to some combinations that we know work."

Robertson, who led the team in scoring with 109 points this season, has struggled in the playoffs. DeBoer said this might help jump start the 23-year-old winger, but that it's not the complete answer.

"You've got to help yourself, too," DeBoer said. "That's not the solution to everyone's problem, is who I'm playing with. You've got to help yourself, and I think he's at that point. We're going to set the table for him, but you've got to help yourself too."

Ty Dellandrea missed the morning skate not feeling well, so Joel Kiviranta could step in on the fourth line tonight.

Key Numbers

68.2 percent

Among players who have taken 100 or more faceoffs in the playoffs, Jamie Benn leads the NHL with a 68.2 winning percentage.

2.68

Oettinger has fallen to ninth in playoff GAA at 2.68. The netminder has allowed 12 goals in three games against Seattle.

188

Seattle leads the playoffs in blocked shots at 188. Dallas is fifth at 151.

He said it

"That's the benefit of being an expansion team. You get four lines of second and third-line players and six second and third and fourth defensemen. That's kind of the pool you're picking from. You maybe don't have that elite superstar, but your strength is in your depth. They've got, what, two 20-goal scorers on their fourth line? That's unheard of in this league unless you're in that situation."

• Stars coach Pete DeBoer on why Seattle's balanced attack is tough to stop.

Expected lineup

Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski
Benn-Johnston-Dadonov
Marchment-Domi-Seguin
Kiviranta-Faksa-Glendening

Suter-Heiskanen
Lindell-Hakanpää
Harley-Miller

Oettinger
Wedgewood

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

Video: Pete DeBoer on the positives from Game 3 is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter Video: Pete DeBoer on the positives from Game 3