Miro Heiskanen is "doubtful" to play for the Stars against the Florida Panthers on Sunday, coach Glen Gulutzan said, and Dallas is thin on defense.
Gulutzan made the comment before Heiskanen missed his fourth straight game Saturday, a 2-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres. The defenseman is dealing with an upper-body injury.
It started on Nov. 3 in Washington. Heiskanen left early in the second period of a 6-5 win over the Capitals after he was hit into the boards by Justin Sourdif, and he hasn't been back since.
He is listed as day-to-day, and according to the latest injury report he is expected to be out until at least Nov. 17. That date is an estimate, and with Gulutzan calling him doubtful for the Panthers, Sunday looks like another game without him.
Dallas can survive a few nights without a lot of players. Heiskanen, who is averaging 24:53 of ice time, is not one of them.
The production is part of the loss too. He has 11 points in 15 games, three goals and eight assists, and all three of his power-play points this season are assists.
Who else is missing on the Stars blue line?
Lian Bichsel is the other name. The 22-year-old defenseman is out "a couple of weeks," Gulutzan said, with a lower-body injury.
The Stars placed him on injured reserve Saturday, retroactive to Nov. 12, and he is listed as out until at least Nov. 27.
We told you about that shuffle on Saturday, when the Stars overhauled their blue line with three moves with Bichsel and Kyle Capobianco both sidelined.
Losing two defensemen at once would hurt any team. Losing the one who plays nearly 25 minutes a night and a big 6-foot-7 presence on the back end hurts a team that is still sorting out its place in the Central.
Dallas is 11-6-2 and sits fourth in the division, so the margin for a long stretch of injuries isn't huge. The Stars have held up so far, winning their last game and going 6-3-1 over their last 10.
Nils Lundkvist logged 20:24 against the Sabres, and it's easy to see his minutes staying heavy while Heiskanen is out. That is a lot to ask of a depth defenseman for any length of time.
The Panthers arrive in Dallas on a three-game winning streak, after a 4-1 win at St. Louis on Saturday. Dallas will need Jake Oettinger to be sharp again after he stopped all 22 shots against Buffalo.
If Heiskanen does miss Sunday, the next checkpoint is Nov. 17, the earliest date on his injury listing.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
How long will Miro Heiskanen be out?
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