The Dallas Stars return to the ice tonight to take on the New York Rangers at the American Airlines Center. This will be another big test for the Stars as they look to prove that they belong in the Stanley Cup contenders list.
They had a complete and utter meltdown the other night against the Colorado Avalanche. If the Stars find themselves with the lead tonight, they cannot go into “cruise control” tonight against the Rangers. Let’s take a look at the three keys of the game tonight against the Rangers.
Dallas Stars vs New York Rangers Preview: 3. Don’t let your foot off the gas pedal
The Stars came out of the gate strong the other night against the Avalanche. It was probably the most impressive first period by the Stars this entire season. Everything was going their way until they couldn’t convert on a 5-on-3 power play and that’s when the Avalanche took over the game.
You cannot play half a game tonight if you expect to beat the Rangers tonight. They are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and they can take a game over if you make a mistake or take your foot off the gas pedal.
Dallas Stars vs New York Rangers Preview: 2. Shut down Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider
I mentioned this past Saturday morning that the Stars would have their hands full against the Rangers on Monday night. They will have to find a way to shut down their top two goal-scorers, Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider. Both players are exceptional scorers and can strike at any time in the game. That’s why the Stars might have to double-team each of them tonight to help out Scott Wedgewood some tonight since Jake Oettinger has the night off (hopefully) against the Rangers.
Dallas Stars vs New York Rangers Preview: 1. Help out Wedgewall
The Stars need Wedgewood to be on top of his game tonight to pull off an upset of the Rangers. That’s why the Stars need to help him on defense to give him the best chance of winning tonight. He does not need to be making another 46 saves tonight to get us the win. I want to see every Stars player be aggressive and they can’t set up for a good shot in the Stars’ zone. That might be our best chance of winning tonight against this talented Rangers team.