The Dallas Stars played well despite what the final score said on Saturday night. Even though the Stars lost 5-1, it was one of the better games they played in the last three weeks. The Stars can even tie the series tonight with a win over the Colorado Avalanche. Unfortunately, Miro Heiskanen will not be returning to the lineup tonight. He still needs some work with that knee, and the possibility of a game 3 return is still in the realm of possibilities Wednesday night.
However, the Stars have bigger things to worry about because Gabriel Landeskog was activated off the IR this afternoon. That means there's a possibility he could return to the lineup against the Stars tonight. While it stinks his return will be against the Stars in the playoffs, it's still good to see a guy return after two years of battling an injury. Here are the four keys to tonight's game at the American Airlines Center.
Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche Preview: 4. Prepare for the inevitable
Whether the Stars like it or not, they will have to deal with Landeskog either coming back tonight or on Wednesday in Denver. Regardless of when he returns, he's another scorer the Stars will have to deal with. The Stars must change their defensive game plan to face Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, and Gabriel Landeskog. It will be a tough battle, but the Stars will do it to advance to the second round of the playoffs. It could be a long night if the Stars don't adjust their game plan for all three players if Landeskog returns.
Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche Preview: 3. Overwhelm Blackwood
The Stars did a good job on Saturday night of overwhelming MacKenzie Blackwood at the front of the net. The one thing the Stars weren't prepared for was him becoming prime Dominik Hasek and shutting down the Stars' offense. The Stars will have to keep doing that if they want to make the second round of the playoffs this year. The Stars had a couple of great scoring chances to turn the tide in game 1. Keep ambushing the net, and good things will happen tonight.
Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche Preview: 2. Stop Nathan MacKinnon
The Stars can't allow Nathan MacKinnon to feast in game 2 tonight. The last thing the Stars need with Landeskog coming back is to go down 2-0 to the Avalanche tonight. Stopping MacKinnon should be priority number one for the Stars tonight. Keeping him and Makar off the scoresheet should help the Stars melt the Avalanche and send them packing to Denver tied up in the playoff series.
Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche Preview: 1. Stop this losing streak
The Stars have got to cut it out and snap the eight-game losing streak tonight. The Stars almost snapped it on Saturday night, but some bad deflections cost them the game. Sometimes the hockey gods aren't on your side, and they weren't Saturday night. The Stars need to forget what happened and turn the tide tonight. Tying the series up at 1 would be the first step in returning to this series and eliminating the Avalanche.