DALLAS — Mikko Rantanen will play against the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time when the Dallas Stars host Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round at American Airlines Center on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET; Victory+, MAX, truTV, TNT, ALT, SN360, SN, TVAS).

The forward ranks fourth in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history with 101 points (34 goals, 67 assists) in 81 playoff games, including 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 14 games against the Stars. He had five points (two goals, three assists) in six playoff games against Dallas last season, when the Avalanche lost to the Stars in six games in the second round.

Colorado traded Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in a three-team deal involving the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 24; the Hurricanes then traded him to the Stars on March 7, and the pending unrestricted free agent signed an eight-year, $96 million contract (average annual value $9.25 million) with Dallas. He played one game against the Avalanche during the regular season, earning an assist in a 4-3 overtime loss at Ball Arena in Denver on March 16.

Here is a breakdown of Game 1:

Avalanche: Nine players are expected to return after missing games at the end of the regular season: forwards Ross Colton (four), Jonathan Drouin (six), Artturi Lehkonen (one), Nathan MacKinnon (three) and Valeri Nichushkin (one), along with defensemen Ryan Lindgren (three), Cale Makar (two), Josh Manson (15) and Devon Toews (two). Coach Jared Bednar declined to say whether captain Gabriel Landeskog will return from a knee injury for the first time since hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2022, but the forward stayed on the ice for extra work at the end of the morning skate, a sign he will miss Game 1.

Stars: Defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who missed the last 32 games of the regular-season with a lower-body injury, participated in the morning skate. Coach Pete DeBoer upgraded him from week to week to day to day but said he will not play Game 1. Forward Jason Robertson is week to week after sustaining a lower-body injury in the regular-season finale, a 5-1 loss at the Nashville Predators on Wednesday. Heiskanen led Dallas with eight points (four goals, four assists) and 172:16 of ice time in six playoff games against the Avalanche last season. Robertson led the Stars with 35 goals during the regular season.