4 things the Dallas Stars need to do to force Game 6 tonight

The Dallas Stars' season is on the brink of elimination tonight against the Edmonton Oilers. The Stars have the firepower to beat the Oilers; however, they aren't doing certain things to take advantage of their weaknesses. Here are four things the Stars need to do to force Game 6 tonight.
Dallas Stars v Edmonton Oilers - Game Four
Dallas Stars v Edmonton Oilers - Game Four | Steph Chambers/GettyImages

The Dallas Stars' season is on the line tonight against the Edmonton Oilers after losing Game 4 in Edmonton on Tuesday night. The Stars were in the middle of that game until the Oilers shut them down in the third period. The Oilers are well-known for making smart adjustments and shutting down their opponents' game plans. The Stars need to focus on four primary areas of their game if they want to extend their season by one more game. Here are the four things the Stars need to do if they want to force Game 6 in Edmonton.

Dallas Stars Game 5 Preperations: 4. Play better 5-on-5

The Stars haven't been playing good 5-on-5 hockey during this series, and it shows. Most of their goal-scoring has come on the power play. You can't expect to win a playoff series by only capitalizing on your power play attempts. The Stars must find ways to score when they aren't on the power play if they want to keep their season alive. The Stars have the scoring depth to be competitive at even strength. They need to unlock that tonight to beat the Oilers.

Dallas Stars Game 5 Preperations: 3. No turnovers

Another thing the Stars need to do tonight to win is not to turn the puck over to the Oilers. We've seen during this series that turning the puck over has doomed the Stars from being a powerhouse and having the series lead. The Stars must be smart with the puck and don't accidentally turn it over to a player like Connor McDavid, who's looking to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals. Be smart with the puck, and the Stars should be fine on the turnover front tonight.

Dallas Stars Game 5 Preperations: 2. Make Mikko Rantanen selfish

I want Pete DeBoer to tell Mikko Rantanen that he needs to be selfish tonight. The Stars have seen the ability from him to take over games in the blink of an eye. Take a look back at Game 7 in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Avalanche. He's the only reason the Stars are here right now, taking on the Oilers for a second year in a row in the Western Conference Finals. It's time for him to get aggressive and extend the season for another game.

Dallas Stars Game 5 Preperations: 1. Take it one period at a time

The one thing the Stars need to do to force Game 6 is take it one period at a time. They don't need to get flustered if they have a bad period tonight. Just go into the locker room, talk it over, and go back out there and win the next period. If they keep focusing on taking on the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Finals, they won't focus on the current task at hand. The Stars can get back in this series if they take it one period at a time and beat the Oilers at their own game.

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