Dallas Stars look to end the winless streak in Boston against the Bruins

Before I wrote the pregame article tonight, I looked at the Stars' road record against the Boston Bruins. The last time the Stars beat the Bruins on the road was January 15, 2018. The Stars have a shot of snapping that losing streak as they take on the Bruins at TD Garden tonight. It will be a grudge match against one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. After losing to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night, the Stars want to add another road win to their record this season.

Tonight, there will be no battle between the recently re-signed goaltenders. Jeremy Swayman will go up against Casey DeSmith. If the Stars want to beat the Bruins, David Pastrnak stands in the way of that goal. He is one of the top players on the Bruins and has a knack for finding the back of the net. If he scores a goal, there's a good chance a couple more goals will be scored. Here are the three keys of the game tonight against the Boston Bruins.

Dallas Stars vs. Boston Bruins Preview: 3. Defense

One of the things that will decide who comes away with the win is defense. The Stars can't allow the Bruins to get comfortable in the Stars' zone. The Bruins have so many great scorers on their team that the Stars can't let up for one second tonight. These guys aren't the Sabres; they are a better team than they are. I'm concerned the Bruins will overload DeSmith with shots if the Stars stand around. If the Stars can shut down the Bruins on offense, they should snap the winless streak in Boston.

Dallas Stars vs. Boston Bruins Preview: 2. Stop Cole Koepke

Mr. Pastrnak will get his paragraph down below. The other player on the Bruins that they have to stop tonight is Cole Koepke. He has three goals and three assists going into tonight's game against the Stars. So far, he's having the best season of his career. As long as the Stars are in town, they will stall his season for at least a game tonight. If the Stars can slow down Koepke in their zone tonight, they can beat the Bruins tonight.

Dallas Stars vs. Boston Bruins Preview: 1. Stop David Pastrnak

Pastrnak is going to be a pain in the butt tonight if the Stars can't keep him in check. Every time the Stars play the Bruins, I get very nervous when Pastrnak touches the puck and skates toward the Stars' goalie. He is a crafty scorer who can score from anywhere in his opponent's zone. The Stars need Miro Heiskanen to have a signature game tonight, and Pastrnak should be shut down from doing any damage to the Stars. If Pastrnak gets shut down, the Stars should win the game tonight in Boston.

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