Heiskanen suffers apparent leg injury in collision with Stone
Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen was forced to exit Tuesday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights after colliding with Mark Stone in the third period.
Stone was tripped by Stars forward Roope Hintz, causing him to lose balance and take out Heiskanen's leg. Heiskanen immediately grabbed his left knee and was in visible pain while departing the ice with the help of his teammates.
Miro Heiskanen went to the dressing room after Mark Stone clipped his leg.
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 29, 2025
Heiskanen needed assistance to leave the ice. pic.twitter.com/CiF3dMOaRe
Here's another look:
Mark Stone lunges at Miro Heiskanen and Miro's leg bends awkwardly.
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) January 29, 2025
He would need assistance getting off the ice 🤕 pic.twitter.com/yJAMFXWHVG
Stone was assessed a two-minute minor for tripping on the play.
"I go to reach to try and angle him out, and I'm not sure who it was that tripped me and I fell forward," Stone said postgame, per The Athletic's Jesse Granger. "You never want to see guys get hurt, and I hope he's alright. I was trying to make a play and got tripped into him."
Stars head coach Peter DeBoer offered no postgame update on Heiskanen. However, DeBoer said he didn't understand why the play wasn't reviewed for a five-minute major.
"I've coached Mark Stone, he's not a dirty player. He's not trying to hurt anybody, I know that," DeBoer said after the game. "That doesn't mean they can't call a five or at least look at it. That was my argument with it."
Heiskanen is one of hockey's best two-way defensemen, finishing top 12 in Norris Trophy voting four times in the last five years. He recorded 24 points in 49 games entering Tuesday, logging a team-high 25:16 per contest.
The 25-year-old is slated to log heavy minutes for Team Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He was one of the first six players to be named to the squad last June.