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Robertson, Heiskanen Set To Return In Second Round For Stars

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The Dallas Stars just knocked off the Colorado Avalanche in a nail-biting seven-game thriller—and they did it without their top goal-scorer and a top defenseman. Now, with Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen set to rejoin the lineup for Round 2, the big question is: what kind of damage can this team do at full strength?

According to Taylor Baird of NHL.com, we should get that answer soon. Both players are set to return at some point in Dallas’ second round series, although coach Pete DeBoer didn’t specify exactly when each player would return.

As DeBoer told reporters Saturday: “I believe you’re going to see them both play in the second round, but I don’t know if it’s going to be Game 1 or Game 3 or Game 5. I consider them both day-to-day now, but there’s still some hurdles. It depends on when we start the series, how much time we have between now and Game 1. We’ll have a little better idea as we get closer.”

Robertson injured his knee in the regular season finale and was listed as week-to-week at the time. The 25-year-old California native was a force all season, suiting up for all 82 games and racking up a team-best 35 goals. Already boasting an eye-popping 394 points in just 374 career games, Robertson has proven he’s more than just a regular-season star. With 38 points in 45 playoff appearances, he’s shown he can shine just as brightly when the stakes are highest. His return will no doubt aid an already potent offense.

Much the same can be said of Heiskanen’s return. Heiskanen’s 25 points in 50 games might not grab headlines like Robertson’s scoring totals, but the Finnish blueliner is still a cornerstone for the Stars when healthy. On the season, he led the team in average ice time, logging over 25 minutes a night. And like Robertson, Heiskanen has shown an ability to produce in the playoffs, as evident by his six goals and 16 points just last season during the team’s 19-game run. He has been out since January with a knee injury.

Blues’ Tyler Tucker To Miss Game 7

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The St. Louis Blues will be without defenseman Tyler Tucker for tonight’s decisive Game 7 clash against the Winnipeg Jets—a significant blow to a team counting on its blue line depth in a win-or-go-home matchup. The 25-year-old Tucker has emerged as a reliable presence on the back end this season, providing physicality, poise, and key minutes that have helped stabilize the Blues’ defense.

In a career-high 38 games this season, Tucker recorded just seven points but showcased his strong defensive prowess by recording 81 hits and 39 blocked shots in that limited time. He added a goal and 12 hits in the first three games of the series before going down with a lower-body injury. If the Blues are able to advance, there is no public timeline on Tucker’s potential return outside of his “day-to-day” status.

Ryan Suter is expected to remain in Tucker’s place in the lineup tonight, skating alongside fellow veteran Nick Leddy. A veteran of over 1,500 career-games, Suter produced two goals and 15 points in 82 games this season—maintaining his streak of four consecutive seasons without missing a game—but was a healthy scratch in games two and three of the series. In the four games he has dressed for, Suter has one assist and a minus-one rating while averaging 16:45 of ice time per game.

Addressing the decision to initially scratch Ryan Suter and then reinsert him following Tucker’s injury, Blues head coach Jim Montgomery praised the veteran’s professionalism, noting that the team will benefit from Suter’s penalty-killing ability and wealth of experience. The 40-year-old has logged 137 career playoff games, averaging an impressive 24:52 of ice time. While his days as a top-pairing workhorse are behind him, Suter’s veteran presence could prove invaluable in a high-stakes Game 7.

Wild’s Joel Eriksson Ek To Undergo Core Muscle Surgery

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Minnesota Wild centerman Joel Eriksson Ek shared that he’ll undergo core muscle surgery next week during his end-of-season media availability, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Eriksson Ek added that he had been playing through the injury at the end of the season. It’s unclear if this is connected to the lower-body injury that held the 28-year-old out of 22 games between February and April. He also noted that this surgery shouldn’t impact his readiness for training camp next season.

Off-season surgery will continue the bad luck of an injury-riddled season into the summer. Eriksson Ek sustained countless injuries over the course of the year, including a broken nose and multiple lower-body injuries. In total he appeared in just 46 games – a new career low. Eriksson Ek was still reliably impactful when he was healthy, netting 14 goals and 29 points – an 82-game pace of 25 goals and 52 points. Those numbers would still fall short of the 30 goals and 64 points Eriksson Ek posted last season, though his scoring through injury was nonetheless impressive. He also remained a focal point in the defensive zone and ranked fifth on the team’s forwards in hits-per-game – among those to play at least 20 games in Minnesota.

Minnesota found a silver lining in the play of Marco Rossi while Eriksson Ek was out. Rossi took a major stride forward this year, netting 24 goals and 60 points while playing in all 82 games for a second-straight season. That includes a red-hot streak during Eriksson Ek’s absence when the calendar turned over. Rossi scored 36 points in 51 games between December 1st and March 31st. That was the second-highest on the team during that stretch – behind Matt Boldy’s 39 points. Rossi seemed to have more offense to give, and could be in store for a major breakout season in 2025-26, after confidently improving from the 40 points he scored last season.

With Eriksson Ek maintaining a strong two-way impact in his healthy games, Minnesota could finally land a top-two center duo to treasure with a wave of good health next season. Eriksson Ek has proven consistently capable of reaching 20 goals and rivaling 50 or 60 points. He’s managed that feat, or scored at an achievable pace, in each of the last five seasons.  He is signed to a yearly cap hit of $5.25MM through the 2027-28 season – an expiration date that Minnesota will surely begin sizing up with his performance next season.

Morning Notes: Marner, Stars, Buium, Lindholm

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The Toronto Maple Leafs were without star winger Mitch Marner at Sunday morning’s practice, as Marner attends to the birth of his first child. He isn’t expected to miss any time, helped along by Toronto’s second round matchup against the Florida Panthers beginning at home on Monday. Marner finally broke through the 100-point glass ceiling this season, scoring a career-high 102 points in 81 games played. He also recorded just 14 penalty minutes – a career-low. Those marks have carried into the postseason, with Marner netting one goal, eight points, and no penalties in six games of the first round. He is notably just under two months away from hitting the open market, unless Toronto can manage an eight-figure contract extension before July 1st. Marner is performing at a top mark at the perfect time – but he’ll have to hold onto the scoring role if Toronto wants to get by a Panthers lineup that averaged the fifth-most goals-per-game in the first round.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Dallas Stars head coach told the media on Sunday that it is still unlikely Jason Robertson or Miro Heiskanen are ready for the start of the second round, per Lia Assimakopoulos of Dallas News. DeBoer did share a glimmer of hope, though, adding that both players should be good to go at some point during round two. The Stars lineup will undeniably improve when they receive their top goal-scorer and top defender back from prolonged injury – an exciting thought to consider after they beat the Colorado Avalanche in a seven-game series. Robertson and Heiskanen – who both have returned to skating at optional practices – will have at least four more games to work their way back into the lineup.
  • Star prospect Zeev Buium only appeared in four games before the Minnesota Wild were eliminated from playoff contention. He performed well in those appearances, netting one assist and four penalty minutes from a depth role, and now faces the a transitional summer as he moves from college to the NHL full-time. Buium hasn’t shared too many details of what the summer will look like, but he did announce that he’ll join Team USA at the World Championship, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Buium represented his country at the World U18 Championshp in 2023 – netting six points in seven games – and at each of the last two World Juniors – where he combined for 11 points in 14 games. Now, he’ll get to join the Americans at the top flight – stepping onto a blue-line full of young-and-upcoming defensive talent. Buium will fight for a role over Mason Lohrei, Jackson LaCombe, and Michael Kesselring.
  • Speaking of Worlds, the Boston Bruins have shared that centerman Elias Lindholm will join the Team Sweden roster immediately. Lindholm hasn’t played at this tournament since 2019, when he scored six points in eight games. That was Lindholm’s third-consecutive season joining the Swedes at the World Championship. Across the trio of years, he combined for 19 points in 26 games. Lindholm’s only opportunity to represent Sweden since 2020 came earlier this year, when he participated in three games of the 4-Nations Face-Off and managed no scoring. Lindholm totaled 47 points in 82 games of the NHL season, his lowest scoring pace since he recorded 21 points in 58 games as a rookie.

Jets’ Mark Scheifele To Miss Game 7, Logan Stanley Questionable

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The Winnipeg Jets received grim news to start their Sunday, as it’s been revealed that star center Mark Scheifele won’t be health enough to dress for Game 7, per Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press. Both players were absent from Winnipeg’s morning skate. The details of Scheifele’s injury haven’t been disclosed. He exited Game 5 in the first period a few shifts after receiving a big hit from St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn. Scheifele sat out of Game 6 but took the ice at Saturday morning’s practice, donning a track suit. Wiebe also shares that defenseman Logan Stanley will be a game-time decision.

Scheifele will stick in the track suit as Winnipeg faces a must-win game on Sunday. He’s been a true star for the Jets all season long, having appeared in all 82 games of the regular season and scoring 39 goals and 87 points – both second on the team behind Kyle Connor’s 41 goals and 97 points. Scheifele’s strong scoring carried nicely into the postseason, where he managed two goals and six points in five games, or 13 periods, of action.

The Jets offense simply doesn’t function the same without their high-motor, high-speed center leading the charge. Winnipeg turned to Vladislav Namestnikov and Adam Lowry to fill the roles of top-six center in Game 6, which added plenty of pressure to the shoulders of top wingers Connor, Gabriel Vilardi, and Nikolaj Ehlers. The Jets only managed two goals with that makeup – both coming on the power-play, where they had the clearest advantage over the Blues. That could be Winnipeg’s silver lining, as St. Louis has recorded the second-most penalty minutes in the postseason so far, with 148 through six games. Unfortunately, the only team above them is indeed the Jets, who have recorded seven more penalties than St. Louis.

Efforts to balance out penalties could be made a bit easier if hard-hitting defender Logan Stanley is forced to sit. He leads the entire postseason with 42 penalty minutes in five games played, and has no scoring and a negative plus-minus to show for it. Stanley is an imposing six-foot-seven and capable of squaring up opponents seemingly every time they try to break into Winnipeg’s zone. That will be a tough role to fill should Stanley indeed be forced out of the lineup. Winnipeg’s next man up would likely be Haydn Fleury, who recorded seven assists and a minus-12 in 39 regular season games.

Mattias Ekholm Won’t Play In Second Round

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While the Oilers came back from a two-game deficit to beat Los Angeles in the first round, they won’t be getting any reinforcements on the back end for their next series against Vegas.  Daily Faceoff’s Jason Gregor relays (Twitter link) that blueliner Mattias Ekholm won’t be available to play in the second round.

The 34-year-old returned to the lineup late in the regular season after missing seven games due to an undisclosed injury.  However, he played just three shifts spanning 1:52 in that game before going down with an undisclosed injury that has kept him out of the lineup since then and will evidently hold him out for a couple more weeks at a minimum.

Ekholm’s absence is certainly a significant one.  He had a career year last season in his first full campaign with the team, notching 45 points while logging over 21 minutes a night.  This year, his output dipped a bit to 33 points in 65 games but his 22:12 ATOI was third on the team.

Notably, Ekholm was their anchor on the penalty kill during the regular season and his absence was certainly felt in the playoffs.  The Kings scored on 40% of their power play opportunities during the opening round as Edmonton struggled considerably when shorthanded but they’ll have to make do without their top defender on that unit for a while yet.

In Ekholm’s absence, Brett Kulak has taken on a much bigger role than usual while John Klingberg returned early in the first round and jumped into a top-four spot, a deployment that will likely continue when their series against the Golden Knights opens up next week.

Canadiens Notes: Anderson, Laine, Montembeault, Worlds, Savard

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As expected, several injuries for the Montreal Canadiens were revealed in today’s end-of-season presser. Forwards Josh Anderson and Patrik Laine, along with netminder Sam Montembeault, shared insights into their struggles with injuries during Montreal’s playoff run.

Vaguely, Anderson told Eric Engels of Sportsnet that he was dealing with lower- and upper-body injuries throughout the regular season, and that he likely wouldn’t have played if the Canadiens weren’t in a position to qualify for the postseason. Still, Anderson impressively tallied 15 goals on the year and played in the highest number of games since the 2018-19 season.

Meanwhile, Laine shared with Marco D’Amico of RG the specifics of the hand injury that kept him out of Games 3, 4, and 5. D’Amico quoted Laine saying, “I broke my finger in the second game. I couldn’t really hold my stick, and shooting is what I do. I was disappointed.”

Lastly, Engels reported that the Canadiens were without their starting netminder for the series’ last two games because of a torn groin. Thankfully, Montembeault won’t require surgery, meaning a full off-season with rehab should have him ready to start the 2025-26 season on time for Montreal.

Other Canadiens notes:

  • Now that their playoff run has concluded, the Canadiens will have at least one player participating in the 2025 IIHF World Championships and could have a few more. Montreal announced that defenseman Mike Matheson will suit up for Team Canada, while Engels reported Cole Caufield (Tweet Link) and Lane Hutson (Tweet Link) are undecided on playing for Team USA. Unfortunately, Team Slovakia will be without one of their top young players as Engels shared Juraj Slafkovsky won’t play in this summer’s international competition.
  • Now retired following the Canadiens’ elimination at the hands of the Capitals, David Savard would like to continue his work career with the Canadiens in a different capacity (Tweet Link). He didn’t allude to which path, as in coaching or a front office position, but he did say he would like to work with the team’s defensemen in some fashion.

Stars’ Jason Robertson, Miro Heiskanen Remain Day-To-Day

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5:30 p.m.: Per head coach Pete DeBoer, neither Heiskanen nor Robertson will play for the Stars in Game 7 against the Avalanche (via Lia Assimakopoulos).

10:38 a.m.: The Dallas Stars were without star forward Jason Robertson and defenseman Miro Heiskanen in their Game 6 loss to the Colorado Avalanche Thursday night. Head coach Pete DeBoer shared minimal updates for the pair of lineup pillars – noting that Robertson had returned to skating and remains day-to-day to Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas News. Heiskanen carries the same day-to-day designation, per Sam Nestler of All Dallas.

Robertson played through all 82 games of the regular season and once again served as Dallas’ premier scorer, with a team-leading 35 goals and second-ranked 80 points on the full year. It was yet another impressive performance from the 25-year-old winger – a nice step up from his 29 goals and 80 points last season, but still short of his 46 goals and 109 points in 2022-23. Robertson is progressing towards a return and will bring a major boost in firepower over top-six winger Mikael Granlund, who has just two points in his last 10 games.

Heiskanen’s 25 points in 50 games this season don’t jump off the page quite like Robertson’s scoring – but the Finnish defender was leaned on heavily when healthy. He led all Stars skaters in ice time per game this season with a nightly average north of 25 minutes. The Stars have been forced to make up that ground with Heiskanen missing the last three months of action, prompting bigger roles for Esa Lindell and Thomas Harley. Both have performed well, which could lead Dallas to try and use Heiskanen on their right-hand side when he’s back to full health. An off-hand Heiskanen would surely outperform Cody Ceci, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Alexander Petrovic – the current makeup of Dallas’ right-side.

Devils Notes: Markström, Pesce, Lazar, Palát

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Despite a five-game loss to the Hurricanes in the first round, Jacob Markström backstopped his Devils with one of the best goaltending performances of the postseason. He posted a .911 SV% and 2.78 GAA behind an injury-plagued New Jersey defense, including a spectacular 49-save performance in Game 5’s double-overtime loss. Through five games, Markström’s 5.7 goals saved above expected lead the playoffs, per MoneyPuck.

On the heels of that strong showing in his first year in New Jersey, Markström enters next season as a pending unrestricted free agent and becomes eligible to sign an extension on July 1. That’s something he has a strong interest in doing. “If [general manager Tom Fitzgerald] is calling, I’m answering,” the netminder told reporters today during end-of-season media availability (per James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now).

Markström is entering the final season of the six-year, $36MM contract he signed with the Flames in free agency in 2020. The Devils are only on the hook for $4.125MM of his $6MM cap hit, though, as Calgary retained 31.25% of his deal when they traded him to New Jersey last offseason. He had a somewhat pedestrian regular season, logging a .900 SV%, 2.50 GAA, and 3.4 GSAx in 49 starts, but the one-time All-Star was still a marked improvement over the goaltending that arguably tanked the Devils’ 2023-24 campaign.

He’ll be 36 next summer, so a long-term deal certainly isn’t in the cards. Injuries remain somewhat of a concern, especially given his age – he’s now missed at least 10 games in back-to-back years. His age also means the Devils can give him performance bonuses on a one-year extension to keep his initial cap hit down. If he wants a multi-year commitment, though, he’s ineligible for performance bonuses.

Here’s more on the Devils:

  • New Jersey lost defensemen Brenden Dillon and Luke Hughes in Game 1 for the rest of the series, and they weren’t the only rearguards hurt in that contest. Brett Pesce told reporters today he sustained a shoulder injury in the opening game of the postseason but played through it, per the club’s Amanda Stein. It’s unclear whether he’ll require offseason surgery. Pesce has a history of shoulder issues, missing the tail end of the 2017-18 season before eventually undergoing surgery on his right shoulder in February 2020. Pesce struggled to the tune of 17 points and a minus-five rating in 72 games for the Devils this year after signing a six-year, $33MM deal in free agency last summer.
  • Center Curtis Lazar’s knee injury never fully healed after making an earlier-than-expected return to the lineup in December, he told Nichols. He underwent surgery on Oct. 27 but was back in the lineup less than two months later, although he did miss a few games later in the season. The pending unrestricted free agent expressed a desire to be back in Newark next year. While he recorded just five points in 48 contests in 2024-25, he’s one year removed from a career-high 25 points and a +10 rating in 71 games. A healthy Lazar can be an effective bottom-six talent, especially if he returns on a deal similar to his current $1MM cap hit.
  • Winger Ondřej Palát will not be representing his native Czechia at this year’s World Championship, per Stein. The 34-year-old managed only 28 points in 75 games this year, a career-low in a full season, and had two assists in five postseason contests. He was an alternate captain for Czechia at the Worlds last year, scoring 3-3–6 in 10 games en route to a gold medal. Being named to Czechia’s roster for the Winter Olympics next year would give him a shot at joining Jaromír Jágr and Jiří Šlégr as Czech members of the Triple Gold Club.

Western Injury Notes: Lyubushkin, Heiskanen, Dorofeyev

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Stars coach Pete DeBoer shared positive updates on the status of Ilya Lyubushkin, per Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News.

DeBoer noted that Lyubushkin’s absence at practice today was simply a maintenance day and that the veteran will be good to go for Thursday’s pivot Game Six matchup against the Avalanche. Lyubushkin contributed an assist and two blocked shots in the Stars’ 6-2 Game Five victory, which game them a 3-2 series lead. The 30-year-old has averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time per game during the series, so his availability moving forward is welcomed news for Dallas.

Other injury news from around the Western Conference:

  • DeBoer also provided an update on Miro Heiskanen, noting that the defender is getting closer to a return and will continue traveling with the club. Heiskanen is considered on a day-to-day recovery timeline after already returning to the ice for practice. The all-star rejoined practice on April 19 for the first time since sustaining a knee injury in January.
  • Vegas Golden Knights Forward Pavel Dorofeyev (undisclosed) will be a game-time decision for tomorrow’s Game Six matchup against the Minnesota Wild, per an NHL release. Coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters today that the team will monitor how Dorofeyev feels in the morning, as the team did not skate today. If Dorofeyev can’t go, Cassidy discussed the team having a few options to replace him in the lineup, including Victor Olofsson, who played the first three games of the series. Dorofeyev made a significant impact this season, emerging as one of the league’s breakout stars. He burst onto the scene with an impressive offensive performance, finding the back of the net 35 times and surpassing all of his previous career highs by a wide margin. His return to the lineup will be a key factor to the team’s success in this series and beyond.

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