Stars head coach Pete DeBoer anticipates that top scorer Jason Robertson and elite defenseman Miro Heiskanen will be available for the Western Conference semifinals after both missed the first-round series win over the Colorado Avalanche.
Following their dramatic Game 7 comeback victory over Colorado on Saturday night, Dallas now waits to face the winner of Sunday’s Game 7 between the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues. If St. Louis advances, the Stars will have home-ice advantage in the upcoming best-of-seven series.
“I think you’ll see both of them at some point in the second round, but I’m not sure if that’ll be Game 1, Game 3, or Game 5,” DeBoer said after Saturday’s win. “They’re day-to-day now, but there are still some obstacles. When the series starts and how much rest we get will help determine their availability. We’ll have a clearer picture as we get closer.”
Robertson, 25, recorded 80 points (35 goals, 45 assists) over 82 games this season but suffered a lower-body injury during the regular-season finale on April 16. He was originally labeled week-to-week.
Heiskanen, also 25, hasn’t played since a knee injury on Jan. 28 in a collision with Vegas’ Mark Stone. After undergoing surgery on Feb. 4, he missed the last 32 games of the season. In 50 appearances, he tallied 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) and ranked fifth among NHL defensemen with an average ice time of 25:10.
