Dallas Stars News

Heiskanen was a late scratch in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, tending to a personal matter, and remained out of the lineup on Thursday against the Utah Mammoth. The 26-year-old Finnish defenseman is having an excellent season for Dallas, scoring 36 points (7G / 29A) through 46 games.

Heiskanen was a late scratch in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, tending to a personal matter, and will remain out of the lineup on Thursday against the Utah Mammoth. The 26-year-old Finnish defenseman is having an excellent season for Dallas, scoring 36 points (7G / 29A) through 46 games. As long as Heiskanen remains out of the lineup, expect an increase in deployment for Thomas Harley, who has been quarterbacking the team's top powerplay unit.

Erne has been in and out of the lineup in the last two weeks, and will re-enter on Thursday against the Utah Mammoth. The 30-year-ol Erne is averaging 9:28 time-on-ice and has four points (3G / 1A) in 19 games this season.

Oettinger was terrific in his most recent outing, saving 24 of 25 shots (.960 SV%), which the Stars hope is the beginning of an upward trend for their goalie, who posted an ugly 3.32 GAA and .879 SV% in his previous eight games (2-4-2). The 27-year-old Oettinger has a 2.70 GAA and .902 SV% in 29 games this season (17-8-4). The Stars enter the action on Thursday as slight -100 road underdogs against a Utah Mammoth team coming off an impressive 6-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, improving to 4-0-1 in their last five games.

Lyubushkin will draw in for Miro Heiskanen, who was a surprise absence due to personal reasons. Lyubushkin will skate alongside Kyle Capobianco on the Stars' third pair.

Heiskanen was a surprise scratch on Tuesday, as the Stars did not announce his absence prior to warmups. Ilya Lyubushkin will draw into the lineup in his place.

Colin Blackwell will draw back into the lineup on Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks, sending Bastian back to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 28-year-old Bastian has three goals in 22 games this season.

Nathan Bastian will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday, allowing Blackwell to re-enter the lineup against the Anaheim Ducks. The 32-year-old Blackwell is averaging 11:40 time-on-ice and has seven points (2G / 5A) in 40 games this season.

The Stars are coming off a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings last night and will turn to DeSmith on Tuesday in the tail end of their back-to-back against the Anaheim Ducks. After an impressive 9-0-3 run, posting a 2.03 GAA and .929 SV%, DeSmith has lost four of five (1-2-2), posting a pedestrian 3.01 GAA and .884 SV%. That said, he was victorious against the Ducks last month, saving 22 of 25 (.880 SV%) in an 8-3 win. The Stars enter Tuesday's contest as -116 road favorites.

Oettinger has allowed three or more goals in seven of his last eight games (2-4-2), posting a 3.33 GAA and .879 SV%, and hopes start with a clean slate on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings. The 27-year-old Oettinger has seen his totals fall in recent weeks, boasting a 2.76 GAA and .900 SV% in 28 games (16-8-4). The Stars enter Monday's contest as -117 road favorites against a typically low-scoring Kings team that is on an offensive surge, averaging 3.5 goals per game over its past eight games (4-3-1).

Blackwell has been a healthy scratch several times in the past few weeks and will return to the sidelines on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings. The 32-year-old Blackwell is averaging 11:40 time-on-ice and has seven points (2G / 5A) in 40 games this season.

Bastian did not play in the Stars' most recent game, but he will return to the lineup on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings. The 28-year-old Bastian has three goals in 21 games this season.

Benn has not played since January 4th because of an upper-body injury, but will return to the lineup on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings. The veteran 36-year-old signed a team-friendly deal laced with bonuses based on reaching games-played milestones, including $500,000 for reaching 60 games. Benn has already missed 22 games this season, so he will be hard-pressed to make sure he doesn't miss another and miss out on a lucrative bonus.

Oettinger has allowed three or more goals in seven of his last eight games (2-4-2), posting a 3.33 GAA and .879 SV%, and hopes start with a clean slate on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings. The 27-year-old Oettinger has seen his totals fall in recent weeks, boasting a 2.76 GAA and .900 SV% in 28 games (16-8-4). The Stars enter Monday's contest as -117 road favorites against a typically low-scoring Kings team that is on an offensive surge, averaging 3.5 goals per game over its past eight games (4-3-1).

Ilya Lyubushkin will be a healthy scratch on Monday, allowing Petrovic to re-enter the lineup against the Los Angeles Kings. The 33-year-old Petrovic has been a regular for the Stars this season, but has been a healthy scratch several times in the past couple weeks. He is averaging 15:48 time-on-ice, recording nine points (2G / 7A), 61 blocks, and 67 hits in 41 games this season.

Alex Petrovic will draw back into the Stars' lineup on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings, sending Lyubushkin to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 31-year-old Lyubushkin is averaging 16:33 time-on-ice, recording seven points (1G / 6A), 51 hits, and 58 blocks in 33 games this season.

Bastian played 8:35 TOI in Washington on Wednesday, but he'll be replaced by Adam Erne in the lineup on Saturday.

Erne was a healthy scratch in Washington on Wednesday but he will replace Nathan Bastian in the lineup Saturday in San Jose. Erne has picked up three goals and one assist in 18 games this season.