Well, that was a humbling experience for the Dallas Stars to begin the weekend. Connor Hellebuyck might have found his game again after shutting out the Stars on Friday Night. That's the last thing the Stars need going into game 3 against the Jets this afternoon. The Stars decided not to show up, allowing the Jets to regain some of their momentum after losing game 1 on Wednesday night. With how good the Jets are at shutting down opposing defenses, this is a critical game to win this afternoon.
The Stars have one thing going for them that the Winnipeg Jets do not: The Jets have struggled on the road this postseason, which is why the St. Louis Blues were able to force game 7 against them in the first round of the playoffs. It will be another grudge match this afternoon, and the Dallas crowd needs to show up and help the Stars get the series lead back. Here are the four keys to this afternoon's game against the Winnipeg Jets.
Dallas Stars vs. Winnipeg Jets Preview: 4. Treat this afternoon like it's game 7
With how Connor Hellebuyck played on home ice on Friday night, it feels like the Stars could be in some trouble has one more good game. There's a reason why we could have a Hart and Vezina Trophy Winner this season. It will be up to the Stars to pressure him early and often this afternoon. They can't allow him to chill out on the Jets' side of the ice tonight. Dallas needs him to be sweating every time the Stars touch the puck. Play like it's the last game at the American Airlines Center this afternoon.
Dallas Stars vs. Winnipeg Jets Preview: 3. Stay in your lane
The one thing I want to see the Stars do this afternoon is stay in their lane. What I mean by that is I don't want to see other Stars' players defending other players' assignments and collapsing the defense. Every man will be responsible for their defensive assignment this afternoon. If one man forgets to protect his assignment, don't skate off and leave your assignment open. The Jets have a lot of great goal scorers, so it's essential to ensure they don't leave a player wide open this afternoon.
Dallas Stars vs. Winnipeg Jets Preview: 2. Stop Kyle Connor
The Stars need to do a good job shutting down Kyle Connor again this afternoon. The Stars have done a good job of ensuring he doesn't get a good shot selection in the Stars' zone. I don't want to see the Stars leave him open to possibly score a goal and take over this afternoon's game. The Stars need to do what they did in game 1 on defense, and they should be fine. If the Stars can keep the Jets' offense grounded, they should win the game this afternoon.
Dallas Stars vs. Winnipeg Jets Preview: 1. Stay out of the penalty box
The Stars must stay out of the penalty box if they want to beat the Jets this afternoon. Dallas learned their lesson in the first period when Winnipeg scored on its first power play attempt. There's a fine line between being aggressive and being too aggressive. The Stars must tone down the aggressiveness just a tad. They are doing a good job defensively; they must stay out of the box. Do that and the Stars will have a 2-1 series lead going into game 4.