Eläköön Suomi: Finnish Mafia looks to lead the Dallas Stars to victory

I hope you enjoyed the little bit of the Finnish language in the article title today. It's only fitting since the Stars are participating in their first Global Series in Finland. The Stars will take on the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers, in what could have been the Stanley Cup Finals matchup last year. We will finally get a measuring stick to see how far off the Stars are competing for the Stanley Cup this season. Everybody should be stoked for this matchup.

Esa Lindell, Miro Heiskanen, and Roope Hintz will probably have some family members attending the game. All three players are from Finland, and some of their family members haven't seen them play for the Stars yet. You can expect all three players to be factors in the game today. I would love to see Roope Hintz do his signature goal celebration in front of friends and family. Let's examine the three keys of the game today against the Florida Panthers.

Dallas Stars vs. Florida Panthers Preview: 3. Match their physicality

The Stars have to match the Panthers' physicality if they want a chance to win the game tonight. The Panthers showed how physical they were in the Stanley Cup Finals last season. They pushed the Edmonton Oilers around and won the Stanley Cup last season. The Stars have to play strong and make sure that they clear the puck out of the Stars' zone. If the Stars can match the Panthers' physicality and keep the puck out of their zone, they should win today.

Dallas Stars vs. Florida Panthers Preview: 2. Shut down Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart

The Stars are going up two of the best goal-scorers in the Eastern Conference today. Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart will give the Stars fits if they don't defend them. Bennett has eight goals, while Reinhart has seven. Jake Oettinger better be on his game when these two players enter the zone with the puck. Both players are great shooters and can even pass the puck. If the Stars can shut down these two players, they should win the game today.

Dallas Stars vs. Florida Panthers Preview: 1. Cash in on the power play

This is a game where the Stars need to cash in on the power play. The Stars have to take advantage of the Panthers' penalty mistakes. The Panthers are a solid defensive team, and the Stars need to take advantage of them being down a man. If the Stars can't convert a power play today, they might be in trouble. However, the power play has been successful for the Stars recently. If the Stars can convert on the power play, the Stars should beat the Panthers this afternoon.

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