Miro Heiskanen had an immediate impact for the Dallas Stars in these NHL playoffs, even after missing 42 games because of a knee injury.

Dallas made the Western Conference Final in each of the past two seasons. In those two playoff runs combined, Heiskanen led the Stars with 28:00 of average ice time and their defensemen with 28 points (seven goals, 21 assists) in 38 games. If he can get back up to speed, he can make Dallas even more dangerous.

And while two overtime victories and a game seven hat trick from Mikko Rantanen in the team’s opening round win over the Colorado Avalanche certainly served as a path to getting back on track, a daunting task awaited in the second round in the form of the western conference’s top team from the 2024-25 season, the Winnipeg Jets.