I know many of you are already starting to draft your statements when Jason Robertson is left off Team USA on Friday morning. I have to remain neutral, but I'm sure you know which way I lean on him getting left off Team USA. However, the Stars need you well-rested and ready to make some noise tomorrow night as the Stars host the Buffalo Sabres for the only time at the American Airlines Center this season. That's more important considering the magnitude of the game.
I'm sure you all know how the rivalry between the Buffalo Sabres and the Dallas Stars began. It all started when Brett Hull slammed that puck past their goaltender to win the Stanley Cup back in 1999. Over the last couple of decades, Sabres' fans have been complaining that Dominik Hasek was interfered with. Unfortunately, it wasn't a rule back then, so they shouldn't really use that as an excuse for losing the Stanley Cup to Dallas.
The Buffalo Sabres are coming into Dallas with a nine-game winning streak, and that's why this game is ten times more important tomorrow. The Stars need to get a winning streak going into the new year, and what better way than to snap your rival's winning streak in front of the home crowd. In the next couple of paragraphs, Blackout Dallas will preview some of the great players on the Sabres that the Stars will have to face tomorrow night.
Alex Tuch is one of the players that the Stars will really have to key in on if they want to snap the nine-game winning streak. He is one of the top players mentioned on the trade market and might be a fit in Dallas if the Stars want to upgrade their team for the postseason. He has 12 goals and 19 assists through 37 games this season. He's going to be a player the Stars don't want camping in front of Jake Oettinger tomorrow night.
Tage Thompson is another player the Stars need to keep an eye on tomorrow night to shut down the Sabres from winning their tenth-straight game. He has 18 goals and 16 assists through 38 games this season. I'll be really interested to see how the Stars cover him tomorrow night since he's a really crafty scorer. I know it might take a couple of defenders to keep him away from Oettinger. He's another player the Stars are going to have to crack down on to win tomorrow night.
I know some of you already have New Year's Eve plans and won't be able to attend the game. However, if you are looking for last-minute plans, this would be the game to be at tomorrow night. The Stars are going to need 18,000 cheering them on to victory against their rival. It won't be like other games in which the Sabres are in the basement of their division. I'm really looking forward to seeing how packed the American Airlines Center will be tomorrow night as the Stars look to snap the Sabres' win streak.