Game 1 didn’t go the way the Dallas Stars anticipated against the Minnesota Wild. They had their shots on goal and just couldn’t get it past their goaltender. Game 1 was basically a goaltender’s duel that lasted until 1 A.M in the morning the next day.
Tonight, the Stars look to rebound and steal a game at home before they switch locations for Games 3 and 4. With Joe Pavelski out due to a concussion, the Stars are going to have to find a way to win without him. Someone has to step up tonight and be the scoring threat for the Stars. Could that threat be Tyler Seguin being promoted to the first line? Let’s take a look to see what the Stars need to do in order to get that win tonight.
Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild Preview: 3. Give Jake Oettinger goal support
Jake Oettinger needs some goal support tonight from the Stars. They can’t shut down after Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson score back-to-back goals. Jake Oettinger needs all the help in the world after going to 1 A.M. on Monday night. Let’s win it in regulation and tie this series up at one going into games 3 and 4.
Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild Preview: 2. Tighten up the defense
The Stars have got to tighten up the defense coming out of the gate tonight. They were letting Krill Kaprizov skate around freely in the first period of game 1. That can’t happen tonight if they want a shot at winning. As I mentioned before, Kaprizov is a crafty player that can create and score goals. Miro Heiskanen needs to cover him instead of Rayan Suter or Jani Hakanpää. It will be a long night for the Stars if they allow him to set up in front of Oettinger.
Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild Preview: 1. Provide some toughness
The Stars were pushed around by the Wild in game 1. The Stars called up Riley Tufte this morning in order to add some toughness to their lineup. I expect him to push some of the Wild players around on the ice tonight. He brings a level of toughness that the Stars like to put in the lineup if they are going up against a team that is physical. He should help out with that aspect of the Stars game tonight if they decide to add him to the lineup.