Dallas Stars Game Day: Stars Aiming To Take Advantage Of Home Ice

Playoff hockey will make its return to Dallas on Monday night when the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators duke it out in game three of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The next three days offer the Stars a critical opportunity to take control of the series.

The American Airlines Center usually holds 18,532 during a Dallas Stars regular season game. But on Monday night, that number will likely be exceeded.

That’s because Stanley Cup Playoffs action will make its return to the AAC for the first time in almost three years. After two consecutive seasons of missing the mark, the Stars are back in the postseason push and are on their way in the race to the Stanley Cup Final.

And so far, they are doing a pretty good job at it. The Stars were pitted against the Nashville Predators in the opening round and were forced to play the role of “visitor” to start things off. They traveled to Bridgestone Arena, which is highly regarded as one the toughest arenas in the NHL, to start up first round action.

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By the time the puck dropped on game one, it looked as though Nashville’s experience and home atmosphere would give them the upper hand. The Predators were quick out of the gate, forcing the Stars into mistakes and setting the pace for the game. They earned an early power play, laid some heavy hits, and eventually got on the board first thanks to a nifty goal from Roman Josi.

But that’s where the tide turned. The Dallas Stars began clawing back and controlled the flow of the game in the final 40 minutes. Miro Heiskanen became the offensive lifeblood of the team, tallying the Stars’ first goal and assisting on the second. Alexander Radulov and Mats Zuccarello found the scoreboard as well, eventually pushing the Stars out to a 3-1 lead in front of a stunned and quiet Predators home crowd. And though Nashville picked up a second goal late in the contest, it wasn’t enough as Dallas claimed the 3-2 win.

Saturday night was a different story, though. While Ben Bishop and Pekka Rinne turned in solid performances in their respective creases, the teams in front of them couldn’t generate many high-danger opportunities. The Predators did have an advantage, though, as they controlled most of the possession time and kept the puck in the Dallas zone for much of the game. Craig Smith eventually ended it in the first overtime period when he scored to clinch the 2-1 victory.

And so, the series split in Nashville, with both teams claiming one win. Now, the attention shifts south as the Stars and Predators will get together at American Airlines Center for games 3 and 4.

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This is where Dallas could have a potential advantage. Playing on home ice always provides a “seventh man” of sorts, considering the home team typically plays in front of a packed crowd chanting in their favor. The building gets loud and can create a sense of motivation for the home team while also creating a sense of pressure for the visiting club.

That’s what the Stars will be looking for in the next two games. Can their home crowd provide an extra boost? They found a way to steal a game in front of a raucous Nashville crowd and fell just one goal short of a sweep in the Music City.

But now, the focus shifts to DFW. Can the fans reignite the fires from 2016 and build on the hype and suspense to propel the team forward? Will the Stars be able to capitalize using their home arena and pick up a 3-1 series lead before heading back to Nashville for game five?

The journey to that goal starts on Monday night in Dallas.

The Dallas Stars held their typical morning skate on Monday morning after spending Sunday away from the rink. It was a chance to get back into their lineup and go over some things ahead of an 8:30 p.m. puck drop.

Here’s how the team lined up at morning skate.

Jason Dickinson – Tyler Seguin – Alexander Radulov

Jamie Benn – Roope Hintz – Jason Spezza

Andrew Cogliano – Radek Faksa – Blake Comeau

Valeri Nichushkin – Justin Dowling – Tyler Pitlick

Esa Lindell – John Klingberg

Miro Heiskanen – Roman Polak

Jamie Oleksiak – Ben Lovejoy

Ben Bishop

And while this lineup looks somewhat different than the one that the Stars used in games one and two, there was some clarity given in Stars coach Jim Montgomery‘s post-skate press conference.

Montgomery noted that Mats Zuccarello and Mattias Janmark missed the skate due to maintenance. Zuccarello is expected to slot into his usual spot on the right wing of the second line (where Spezza filled in today), while Janmark will take warmups and is expected to play on the left wing of the fourth line (where Nichushkin filled in).

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Zuccarello has played in three games since returning from surgery to repair a broken arm, while Janmark had a scary collision with the boards on Saturday night in game two that caused him to miss some playing time. Both are expected to be in the lineup on Monday night.

Meanwhile, Jamie Oleksiak is expected to make his playoff debut with the Stars on Monday night after serving as the healthy scratch in games one and two. Oleksiak played in 12 postseason games with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season during his 10-month stay with the club before returning to the Stars in a trade this past January. Oleksiak will slot in on the third pairing and take the spot of Taylor Fedun, who played in the first two games. Fedun posted no points and a -2 rating in an average of 8:16.

Finally, Ben Bishop will start in net in his third consecutive game for the Dallas Stars. Bishop has been a rock for the Stars in the series so far, posting a .946 save percentage and 1.92 goals against average. He kept Dallas in game one when they struggled out of the gate early and shut the door as the third period wound down to preserve the lead. In game two, he was a key catalyst in willing the team to overtime, stopping 41-42 in regulation.

On the other side of the puck, the Predators will have to manage without two of their top acquisitions at the 2019 Trade Deadline. Brian Boyle, who missed game two due to what was labeled as an illness, had an appendectomy and is now listed as “week-to-week.” Wayne Simmonds, who took a shot to the leg during Saturday night’s game, is also considered “week-to-week.” Those are two big bodies out of the Nashville lineup, which could provide another advantage to a Dallas roster built on speed instead of size.

"“Really exciting. To see all of the white towels on the back of the seats already and kind of visualizing how boisterous and how excited our fans are going to be and how it’s going to elevate our team.” – Jim Montgomery at morning skate"

The series has shifted back to Dallas for a critical game three. The opportunity to gain momentum is there for both clubs. The only difference is that this time around, the Stars have the crowd on their side.

“I am expecting it to be pretty loud and exciting,” Stars captain Jamie Benn told Mark Stepneski of DallasStars.com. “Hopefully, it’s an electric building and hopefully our fans wear green, be loud, and cheer for the Stars.”

We’ll find out which one wants it more when the puck drops at 8:30 p.m. in front of what should be a jam-packed American Airlines Center. Playoff hockey is back in Dallas.