The Dallas Stars are back at it again tonight as they finish their three games in four nights. The Stars will stay up in the northwest as they take on the Vancouver Canucks. The Stars are probably going to be pretty tired going into this matchup as they took on the Seattle Kraken for the second time in three days. It will be interesting to see which Stars team comes out of that tunnel onto the ice for the first period. Here are the three keys to tonight’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.
Dallas Stars vs Vancouver Canucks: 3. Get off to a hot start
Knowing that the Stars are going to be tired after playing a dangerous Seattle Kraken team, they need to get off to a quick start. The Stars were able to do that against the Kraken scoring twice in the first period. They will need that same type of energy against the Canucks. Hopefully, we don’t see the tired Stars team we sometimes see on the back end of a back-to-back game situation. With how close the Central Division is right now, they need to come out swinging for the fences.
Dallas Stars vs Vancouver Canucks: 2. Stop Andrei Kuzmenko and Elias Pettersson
The Stars have got to stop these two players if they want to get two points against the Vancouver Canucks. Kuzmenko leads the Canucks with 32 goals this season with Pettersson right behind him with 30 goals. Kuzmenko tortured the Stars the last time they faced off against each other. Pettersson is just as a threat from the blue line. They feed off their home crowd easily and could go on a scoring run. If the Stars can’t control these two, it’s going to be a long night.
Dallas Stars vs Vancouver Canucks: 1. Give Mr. Otter a rest
Jake Oettinger has done well in the last nine games for the Stars. However, he needs a break tonight from being the goalie. With the playoffs coming up and the fact that the Central Division is a tight race, he needs a break. Scott Wedgewood or Matt Murray needs to throw on their pads and get the Stars a win tonight. I know the Canucks aren’t that good and this seems like a perfect game for Jake Oettinger to take a break on the bench.
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