NHL Injury Notes: Miro Heiskanen, Mattias Ekholm, and Anthony Stolarz

Nicholas J. Cotsonika: Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen returned to the lineup last night for Game 4. Heiskanen has been out with a knee injury since January 28th.

“It’s hard, for sure,” Heiskanen said. “You never want to miss any time and want to be playing. That stuff happens in this sport, and it’s something you have to deal with. You just have to try to stay positive, and the guys did a great job to beat . Now I had a chance to come back and be playing again.

“Of course, it’s frustrating to be out and watching the games. But it’s great to be back now.”

He took short shifts and was used on the second power-play unit, finishing the game with 14:52 of ice-time, down from his regular-season average of 25:10.

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Derek Van Diest: According to Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch, if the Edmonton Oilers advance to the Conference Finals, they could get defenseman Mattias Ekholm back.

“Mattias has been on the ice for light skates,” Knoblauch said. “He will not be joining us this series. We’re hopeful that he can join us next series if we can get to that.”

The Oilers are up 3-1 in the series, with Game 5 going tonight.

Dave McCarthy: Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz was back on the ice yesterday for their optional skate. He won’t be in the lineup for Game 5 tonight.

“He’s progressing,” coach Craig Berube said of his No. 1 goalie. “He was on the ice a little bit, so he’s doing much better.”

Stolarz has been out since Game 1 when he took a shot off the mask and was then hit by Sam Bennett. Coach Craig Berube didn’t have a timeline for when Stolarz could return.

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