Dallas Stars Must Use Mike McKenna As Inspiration Against Anaheim

The game may mean little in regards to the future, but it’s still a game. And if the Dallas Stars can use Mike McKenna as their inspiration yet again, they should be able to come away with a win tonight in Anaheim.

The Dallas Stars are in Anaheim tonight to square off with the Ducks. It’s game 81 of 82 for both teams, with the regular season ending tomorrow night. The game features a playoff-bound team squaring off against a team with nothing left but pride to play for.

And yet, it could still turn into an entertaining contest. The Stars and Ducks always find a way to make things interesting, dating back to their days as Pacific Division rivals and their first round playoff series in 2014.

But that’s not the only reason to tune in to tonight’s game.

The storyline floating around the Stars organization ahead of tonight’s game is in regards to the Dallas crease. After Ben Bishop was injured on March 18 and eventually deemed out for the remainder of the season, Kari Lehtonen took the reins as the undeniable starter.

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But after falling in an early 2-0 hole against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night, prior planning took an unexpected turn. Lehtonen took a puck up high and had to leave the game, resulting in the calling upon of Mike McKenna.

The 34-year-old had not played in an NHL game in over three years, has spent his entire career bouncing around NHL organizations, and had manned the Dallas bench for the last month. With Lehtonen’s injury, he finally got his shot. And boy, did he take it.

McKenna stopped all 17 shots that he faced through the final 45 minutes of the game, which included a few high-quality chances from some of San Jose’s best shooters. He looked as though he had been playing consistently in the NHL for months. His practice and consistency while on the roster paid off as the Stars rallied around McKenna and turned a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 victory.

The stellar play of no. 35 earned him the start tonight in the Dallas Stars’ second-to-last game of the year. And if the Stars are smart, they will use McKenna and his story as a rally point yet again.

It was obvious that when McKenna came in, the Stars woke up. It was almost as if a month-long hibernation just disappeared. They were relentless, overpowering, and hopped into the driver’s seat. All it took was bringing in a third-string goaltender with an incredible journey behind him in search of checking off another box in his career.

Will that happen again tonight? McKenna has yet to start in an NHL game since 2015, so tonight will be a breath of fresh air. But that will need to come with another revitalized effort from the team in front of him.

If the Dallas Stars can once again push the buck and give their all for the guy behind them, they just might have a shot at knocking down the Ducks and giving McKenna a much-needed W.

In a season that lost just about all of its meaning on Sunday night when they were eliminated from the playoff race, the Stars need a good storyline to close out the year. This is the one that they can latch onto as long as they follow through tonight.

Next: Central Division Plays Part In Burying Stars Yet Again

Will McKenna bring some more magic to the Stars? We’ll find out at 9 p.m. from the Honda Center. Oh, and this one is being broadcast on the big stage (NBCSN), so get ready to correct nomenclatural inaccuracies.

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