Stars’ Finnish Five Carrying Team in Playoff Run

Two of the players were acquired via trade during the season. Granlund was acquired from the San Jose Sharks, who also saw them acquire defenseman Cody Ceci as Nils Lundkvist was reported out for the season, including playoffs, due to a lower-body injury.

The Stars also acquired Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes, and it cost them Logan Stankoven plus multiple first-round draft picks. Considering how he has performed so far in these playoffs, it was well worth it.

Stars Need Finnish Five to Keep Producing

If the Stars want to get past the Oilers, they need to continue to get production from the Finnish Five nightly, and head coach Pete DeBoer knows that. He’s had all five of them start games and get ice time together. There’s a reason DeBoer puts them together at points in games.

Rantanen, whom I’ve already touched on, has been the team’s most significant contributor for the playoff run, recording nine goals and 11 assists. Honestly, the Stars don’t get past the Avalanche if they decide not to acquire him at the trade deadline. A hat trick and a four-point third period in Game 7 helped the Stars, which is still the best performance of any player in the 2025 Playoffs. In the series against the Oilers, he recorded one assist in Game 1.

Granlund has been an excellent addition to this team and has added depth to an already loaded roster. He’s done everything he’s been asked to do so far by recording nine points (five goals and four assists) in 15 games played. Playing just under 18 minutes a night, he gets minutes in almost every situation. If the Stars get past the Oilers, he’ll be one of the key contributors, and I would look for him to get on the scoresheet a few more times. In the two games against the Oilers in the series, he has recorded a goal and an assist.

Hintz has quietly had a good postseason, as usual. In 15 games played, he has recorded 11 points (five goals and six assists). Once again in a playoff run, he’s proving why he’s among the most underrated players in the NHL. DeBoer leans on him when the team needs a spark or boost offensively, and he also contributes to the defensive side of the game. However, unfortunately for Hintz, he took a slash from Darnell Nurse in their loss in Game 2, and it looks like he could miss some time. We’ll wait for the examination and more details, but he was in a walking boot after the game. Not a good sign for him and the team.

Heiskanen has been the team’s pillar when he’s been on the ice. He missed the last 32 games of the regular season and the first 10 games of the playoffs. The Stars saw him return in Game 4 against the Jets, and he has been everything the Stars have wanted, plus more. Having a multi-point game in Game 1 against the Oilers, he will most certainly be looking to have a few more of those games as the Stars look to head back to the Stanley Cup Final.

Heiskanen is one of the best two-way defensemen in the NHL and is the best defenseman remaining in the 2025 Playoffs. He gets help from his defense partner in Lindell.

Lindell is not your puck-moving defenseman type. He’ll give you 20-plus minutes every night playing in every defensive situation. He’s a great penalty killer, he’s excellent when the opponent has the extra attacker, is great in his defensive zone, and can lock down your favorite star in this league. Every team needs a defenseman like Lindell. Someone you can rely on when you’re up by one goal in the final minutes of a tight-checking playoff game. He’s been crucial to the Stars’ success.

To end things off here, the Finnish Five is not only a cool nickname, but also they’re some of the Stars’ top producers in their current playoff run. When they produce, the Stars are tough to stop.