Miro Heiskanen’s opening night can be summed up by two numbers that point in opposite directions: 26:45 on the ice and four blocked shots, alongside one shot on goal. The Dallas Stars needed substantial work from their defenseman Friday against St. Louis. They also needed much more from the attack.
The Blues won 4-0 at American Airlines Center. Two of those goals came into an empty net in the final minutes, which widened the margin, but the central problem was already settled: Dallas did not score. Joel Hofer finished with 25 saves for St. Louis.
Heiskanen’s workload offers a demanding starting point for assessing what Dallas asked of its defense. He spent nearly half the game on the ice, blocked four shots and recorded one of the Stars’ 25 shots on goal. Those figures do not explain every assignment or reveal the quality of each chance.
They do show a defenseman carrying a large share of the game’s physical and positional labor while the forwards failed to match it with enough shooting volume.
The forward totals make that imbalance difficult to miss. Wyatt Johnston and Tyler Seguin each had four shots, combining for eight of Dallas’ 25. Jason Robertson produced two in 19:39, while Mikko Rantanen had one in 22:10. Johnston, Robertson and Rantanen combined for seven shots.
That is not a verdict on effort, shot selection or individual responsibility; the box score cannot provide those answers. It is a description of the demand Dallas created for itself. When a team finishes scoreless, and much of its forward production is concentrated in two players, the burden on its defense becomes more visible.
Heiskanen’s four blocks are part of that picture. His one shot is another.
Seguin’s return added a complicated footnote. It was his first game since a right-knee ACL injury ended his previous season on Dec. 2, 2025. He matched Johnston for the team lead with four shots in 14:55, but he also accumulated six penalty minutes. His second-period hooking call and third-period double-minor came in a game where Dallas went 0-for-4 on the power play.
A first appearance after a long absence can contain encouraging and untidy elements at once. Four shots gave Seguin a meaningful offensive presence, while the penalties removed him from the ice and gave St. Louis more time with a man advantage. The point is not to turn one return into a personnel judgment.
It is that Dallas received too little collective attacking output to absorb those interruptions.
