Kids learned a pretty important weather lesson courtesy of the Dallas Stars today

Nothing like rolling up to your own hockey arena after being away for the past two weeks. The Dallas Stars welcomed the Tampa Bay Lightning to town as they kicked off the first of three games at home this week. There was one lesson that kids took away from today's loss at the American Airlines Center: don't get struck by lightning. That was the case as the Stars lost another game to the Lightning 4-1. While the Stars lost this afternoon, sometimes it's the little victories that matter.

It really felt good to be home after being on the road the past two weeks. After going 2-3-1 on the road, sometimes it's okay to come home and enjoy some early hockey with a bunch of rowdy kids hyped up on Pixie Sticks. I loved seeing the introduction with all the kids' drawings of the lineup's different players this afternoon. It's good to see kids enjoy the game of hockey because they are the next generation of hockey fans. Here are the four takeaways from this afternoon's game at the American Airlines Center.

Dallas Stars vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Recap: 4. The Queback line has returned

What a way to open up the scoring this afternoon with some action from the Queback line. Oskar Back found the puck off a rebound in front of the net and made sure that it went past the goaltender with authority. That's the kind of offense the Stars need to have happen if they want to be a legit threat in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They can't rely on the top two lines to get all the scoring done. Sometimes it takes the third and the fourth line to get the job done.

Dallas Stars vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Recap: 3. Oettinger needs to tighten up some

I'm sure Jake Oettinger wished he could have that goal back, which he allowed shortly after Oskar Back opened up the game with a goal. Dominic James fired a puck on Oettinger's short side, which tied the game up. That shot looked like something that Oettinger could have saved easily. While Oettinger was on his game today, stuff like that needs tightening up. You can't be giving up an elementary goal like that, making eight million dollars a season. He needs to treat the regular season like the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Dallas Stars vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Recap: 2. Stars were lightyears better in the faceoff circle

One thing that fans hope would change in today's game is in the faceoff circle. The fact that the Stars were unable to win a faceoff in Utah against the Mammoth said everything you needed to know about that loss. Today, the Stars were able to win some and dictate some of the game despite losing. I know the fans were disappointed by today's outcome, but they should be happy they won some faceoffs. Sometimes you need to take baby steps before you can run.

Dallas Stars vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Recap: 1. Andrei Vasilevskiy is a brick wall

I think every Stars fan, including myself, is counting down the days until Andrei Vasilevskiy retires from the NHL. I don't know if he's a distant relative of Lux Luthor, but he is like the Stars' kryptonite. The Stars have a hard time getting the puck past him. The only reason Back was able to score was that it trickled past him. At least the Stars don't have to see him for the remainder of the season. The Bruins are coming to town on Tuesday, so the Stars can't mope too much about today's loss.