The Dallas Stars hosted the Utah Hockey Club in their final regular-season game at the American Airlines Center. While the regular-season homestand is complete now, there will be some postseason hockey at home later this month. The Stars got off to a good start on the power play with their five-forward experiment. However, the Stars would lose 5-3, extending their losing streak to five games. This was some terrible hockey with the playoffs right around the corner.
The Stars still have some work to do before the playoffs begin shortly. One of those things is to work on killing off penalties again. The fact that the Stars gave up a power-play goal tonight is pretty concerning. Colorado is going to feast on the Stars if that's the case. Another thing is being okay with one goal; the Stars can't score one power-play and think they will coast to the finish line. Here are the four takeaways from tonight's game at the American Airlines Center against the Utah Hockey Club.
Dallas Stars vs. Utah Hockey Club Recap: 4. Five-forward power play
I don't know why the Stars decided not to do this earlier but they need to have five forwards on the power play from now on. They went with that because Harley was out of the lineup for maintenance tonight. It only took 12 seconds to find the back of the net. I think this could help with their power-play issues in the postseason. It wouldn't hurt if the Stars decided to stick with this going into game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Congrats to Wyatt for scoring #32 this season to kick things off.
Tic-Tac-WyJo! pic.twitter.com/w1ZsHthpfD
— X - Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) April 13, 2025
Dallas Stars vs. Utah Hockey Club Recap: 3. Good to give Lindell and Harley some rest
Thomas Harley and Esa Lindell probably went to the Spa earlier today since they weren't going to be playing in tonight's game. They didn't play tonight because the Stars didn't want them to risk getting injured in a meaningless game. The Stars aren't going to clinch the Central Division from the Winnipeg Jets. They deserve a couple of games off for all their work with Miro Heiskanen, who is out of the lineup due to his knee injury. I hope both of them enjoyed tonight off for their hard work.
Dallas Stars vs. Utah Hockey Club Recap: 2. Elite Penalty Kill?
What has happened to the elite penalty kill the Stars had recently? It's like they completely vanished down the stretch. The fact that the Stars gave up four power play goals tonight was excruciatingly painful to watch. The fact that teams have been able to score power play goals against Dallas is concerning going into the playoffs. Harley and Lindell were both out of tonight's game due to maintenance, but it doesn't excuse the other power play goals they gave up over the last five games. The Stars must tighten up on the penalty kill, or it's a quick playoff run.
Dallas Stars vs. Utah Hockey Club Recap: 1. Add Petrovic to the lineup
Alexander Petrovic needs to be added to the Stars' postseason roster. Even though he committed a terrible penalty tonight, he could provide some veteran presence. He had a good game against the Utah Hockey Club. Having postseason experience could come in handy against the Avalanche in the first round. It could also help if Miro Heiskanen is not ready to return to action. I wish DeBoer decided to pull the trigger on calling him five games ago though. Even though it wouldn't possibly change their playoff opponent, the Stars could have won a couple of the games they lost. Stars hit the road for their final two regular-season games starting in Detroit Monday.