The Kraken’s first goal in Game 3 against the Stars on Sunday was a double whammy. Not only did it begin an offensive onslaught that led to a 7–2 Seattle victory, it also knocked Dallas’ best defenseman out of the game.
The shot from Tye Kartye hit Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen square in the cheek, sending him crumpling to the ground as Jordan Eberle buried the puck in the back of the net. The puck opened up a huge gash on Heiskanen‘s face, requiring him to go back to the locker room to get stitched up. He did not return to the game.
“Terrible bounce,” Stars goalie Jake Oettinger said. “It hits your best defenseman in the face, blows up his cheek pretty much.”
When Heiskanen showed up to the arena before Game 4 on Tuesday, his cheek was severely swollen and he had what Dallas coach Peter DeBoer called a “nasty gash.” (Click here if you want to see a closeup of Heiskanen’s gnarly injury.)
Miro Heiskanen yikes pic.twitter.com/QXykXUszuU
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But it takes a lot more than that to keep a hockey player out of a playoff game, and so Heiskanen returned to the ice for Game 4. Not only did he play, he was credited as the reason that his team won to tie the series at two games apiece. Heiskanen played a game-high 31 minutes and picked up an assist as Dallas won 6–3.
“He’s an amazing athlete,” DeBoer said. “Ultracompetitive. Wants to win. Hard minutes. Hard minutes tonight. What do you say? He’s done it all year for us. He’s one of the best in the world at that position. He’s a warrior.”
The injury made it difficult for Heiskanen to eat and sleep, DeBoer said, but he strapped a plastic cage on his helmet and played like nothing was different.
“It didn’t bother me,” Heiskanen said. “Felt pretty good there. It doesn’t matter. I felt pretty normal. It’s always nice to get minutes up again.”
Hockey players are on another level.
