First Shift 🏒
At the very least, Team Finland is getting a “look-see” with the Stars’ new defensive pairing of Esa Lindell and Heiskanen.
“That’s a Four Nations pair, probably,” assistant coach Steve Spott said. “They looked very good together. That’s a tremendous pair for us, but it’s good to spread the wealth, too.”
The Stars reshuffled their defense in the offseason, bidding farewell to Ryan Suter and Jani Hakanpaa, while welcoming Ilya Lyubushkin, Brendan Smith and Matt Dumba via free agency. The addition of Lyubushkin and Dumba gives the Stars three right-handed defensemen and means that Heiskanen can play his natural left side if the coaches so desire. However, the talented leading minute man has actually looked good on the right side – at times with Harley and last game with Lindell.
Heiskanen has led the Stars in time on ice for several seasons, and Lindell used to be that guy until his minutes started to slip behind Harley. But the 30-year-old Lindell has more than 600 games under his belt and is one of the most trusted blueliners on the team, so putting him with Heiskanen is a pretty safe bet.
In the first game this season where the two played exclusively together, Heiskanen scored his first two goals of the season and Lindell had two assists. What’s more, they were tremendous against the Penguins’ top players.
Spott took media responsibility after practice on Wednesday to give head coach Pete DeBoer a break. And while Spott coaches forwards, he said DeBoer and defensive assistant coach Alain Nasreddine are working to find the right combinations.
“That’s a daily conversation, trying to find, lefty, lefty, righty, righty,” Spott said. “That’s still a work in progress, but I know it’s something the two of them are talking about every day.”
Both Lindell and Heiskanen are lefties. That means that the best solution below them is to scratch one of the righties. Nils Lundkvist was scratched earlier in the season, but on Monday veteran Dumba was a healthy scratch. That meant Harley (lefty) played beside Lyubushkin (righty) and Smith (lefty) played beside Lundkvist (righty). It looks like those pairs will be the same on Thursday against the Bruins.
“We’ve got seven NHL defensemen here and Smith has played well when he has gone in,” DeBoer said before the Pittsburgh game. “They’re tough decisions, but your play has got to dictate whether you stay in or out.”
Heiskanen said he enjoys playing beside Lindell. The two have known each other for years, and while they haven’t played that much together on the Stars, they have played together for Team Finland.
“Yeah, maybe our first year together here, but more in World Championships or with Finland,” Heiskanen said. “He’s a great player. He’s so good in the D zone and he’s good with the puck too, so it’s fun to play with him.”
Heiskanen said the defensemen are simply doing whatever the coaches tell them.
“It doesn’t matter who you play with. You have to play your game and don’t change too much,” he said. “You try to just prepare yourself to play every game. That’s really the key to it all.”
