If the excitement around tonight's matchup against the New York Rangers wasn't already high, it has gone up 10x in Dallas. If you missed the exciting news, Logan Stankoven was promoted to the NHL this morning. Fans have wanted Stankoven called up since he's leading the AHL in points and has a chance to break Curtis McKenzie's scoring record. There's nothing like possibly having your NHL debut in Madison Square Garden. Here are the three keys of the game against the New York Rangers.
Dallas Stars vs. New York Rangers Preview: 3. Help out Scott Wedgewood
With how good the New York Rangers record is in the last ten games, Wedgewood will need help on defense tonight. Miro Heiskanen returns to the lineup after the birth of his child, which will help out the Stars tonight. Clearing the puck out of the zone, especially against their top line, will be essential if the Stars want to avoid a third straight loss. If the Stars can take care of business on the defensive end of the ice, they should be able to beat the New York Rangers tonight.
Dallas Stars vs. New York Rangers Preview: 2. Shut down Artemi Panarin
The Stars need to shut down Artemi Panarin tonight if they want to come away with the win. He has 32 goals and 42 assists going into the matchup with the Stars tonight. The Stars can't allow him to touch the puck around Scott Wedgewood. He is a crafty hockey player who also likes to set up his linemates for goals. If the Stars can shut him down tonight, they should be able to beat the Rangers on the road.
Dallas Stars vs. New York Rangers Preview: 1. Unleash the Stank
Pete DeBoer said this morning that Stankoven is a game-time decision tonight. While I understand DeBoer doesn't want to throw Stankoven into the deep end tonight, just put Stankoven in the lineup. We aren't playing the Rangers for the remainder of the season unless we play them in the Stanley Cup Finals this year. Let him play tonight so the Stars can see how his development has progressed since training camp.