Stars vs Jets Tonight: Jamie Benn Chases His 1,000th Point, and Miro Heiskanen Is Ruled Out
Dallas (10-5-2) hosts a Winnipeg team riding four straight wins at American Airlines Center tonight (7 p.m. CT). Captain Jamie Benn needs one point for 1,000 in his career. The Stars will chase it without their top defenseman: coach Glen Gulutzan has ruled Miro Heiskanen out, hoping for the weekend instead.
DALLAS - One point is the whole night. Jamie Benn, the Dallas Stars' captain, takes the ice at American Airlines Center on Thursday night (7 p.m. CT) one point short of 1,000 for his NHL career, as the Stars host the Winnipeg Jets in the second game of a four-game homestand. Thursday is military and veterans appreciation night at the arena; the game streams on Prime Video in the Stars' regional territory and airs on The Ticket, 96.7 FM and 1310 AM.
Dallas will chase the milestone short-handed on the blue line. Miro Heiskanen, out with an upper-body injury sustained in the 6-5 win at Washington on November 3, missed Saturday's 4-3 home win over San Jose, and coach Glen Gulutzan has now ruled him out against Winnipeg as well, Reuters reported. "He won't be in tomorrow. We hope maybe on the weekend, but it's definitely not tomorrow," Gulutzan said, noting Heiskanen skated on his own Wednesday but is not yet practicing with the group. Heiskanen has three goals and eight assists in 15 games this season. In his absence Saturday, Thomas Harley ran the top power-play unit and produced a goal and two assists as Dallas scored three times with the man advantage.
The visitors arrive hot. Winnipeg has won four straight and looks for a fifth consecutive victory, three points behind Dallas with two more games played, and the Jets bring Dawson Mercer and a power play that has scored seven times in its last four games. Winnipeg's own list is not empty: Nick Bjugstad is on long-term injured reserve with a pectoral injury, Vladislav Namestnikov is on injured reserve, and defenseman Elias Salomonsson is away from the team for a personal matter.
Dallas, 3-0-1 over its last four and rested since Saturday, leans on Jake Oettinger, who has three shutouts in 13 starts. After tonight, the homestand continues with Buffalo on Saturday and Florida on Sunday, both at 7 p.m. CT - the weekend window Gulutzan pointed to for Heiskanen. Tonight's final files within 45 minutes of the buzzer on this desk.
