The Stars look to put the Oilers on life support by winning game four

The Dallas Stars can put immense pressure on the Edmonton Oilers with a win in game four of the Western Conference Finals tonight. All eyes will be on the Stars as they look to put the Oilers in a 3-1 series deficit. It would be huge because game five is back in Dallas, and they can win the Western Conference in front of the Dallas faithful. However, let's take it one period at a time tonight and see what happens. They can't have a first period like they did in game three on Monday night.

You could tell that the Oilers were caught off guard by the new line combinations. The line combinations from game three worked so well that the Stars shouldn't change the lines tonight. Jason Robertson's offense was unlocked by the presence of Roope Hintz on his line. The young players were clicking with Jamie Benn on Monday night as well. Let's look at the three keys of the game tonight if the Stars want to make it a 3-1 series deficit for Edmonton.

Dallas Stars vs. Edmonton Oilers: 3. Better start in first period

Let's not let the Oilers' top line dominate to begin the first period tonight. The Stars would not be in the position that they are in now if it wasn't for Jake Oettinger. They must come out swinging in the first period of the game and silence their crowd. The Stars want to make the Oilers feel like their season is about to end when they return to Dallas for Friday night's game at the American Airlines Center.

Dallas Stars vs. Edmonton Oilers: 2. Stop the three-headed monster again

After Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid's goals in the first period, the Stars shut them down for the remainder of the game. That is something that needs to happen in game four later tonight. When the Oilers' top line is shut down, it's hard for them to generate any offense during this series. If the Stars can shut down their top line for sixty minutes tonight, they can be one win away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Dallas Stars vs. Edmonton Oilers: 1. Keep the top line together

The Stars must keep the top line together to beat the Oilers tonight. Robertson's offense was unleashed with Roope Hintz dishing the puck to him. Putting Tyler Seguin on the top line instead of Wyatt Johnston allowed the Stars to keep Jamie Benn and the youngsters together. Pete DeBoer shouldn't shuffle them unless there's an injury in the middle of the game. If the Stars want to put the Oilers on the brink of elimination, they should keep the lines the same entering game four tonight.

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