DALLAS (AP) — Key defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Quinn Hughes were active for Game 1 of the Western Conference playoff series between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild on Saturday after both had missed the end of the regular season for different reasons.
Heiskanen didn't play the last three regular-season games for the Stars because of a lower-body injury in a 5-4 win over Minnesota on April 9.
Hughes, acquired by the Wild from Vancouver in December, missed their last two games dealing with an illness since playing a week ago at Nashville. He didn't travel with the team to Dallas on Thursday, and instead flew on his own Friday.
Heiskanen missed 42 games over 3 1/2 months last season, and he didn't get into those playoffs until Game 4 of the Stars' second-round series against Winnipeg.
Dallas coach Glen Gulutzan said before Saturday's game that some extra days of rest helped Heiskanen, who skated on his own Thursday before practicing Friday. The coach said the defenseman with 63 points (nine goals, 54 assists) would be a full-go for however many minutes.
“It's the time of year he can go,” Gulutzan said.
Hughes, who has 76 points (seven goals, 69 assists) in 74 games overall, also plays a big role for Minnesota.
“I just expect him to come in and do what he does,” Wild coach John Hynes said.
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
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