It's one of those games where the Dallas Stars must be ready to weather the storm. Gabriel Landeskog will likely suit up and play his first game with the Avalanche in over three seasons. It will be a ruckus in Ball Arena tonight as the Stars take on the Avalanche in game 3 of this playoff series. The Stars survived overtime on Monday night, as Colin Blackwell was the unsung overtime hero for the Stars. They will need another good performance from him tonight.
However, there is some good news for the Stars. Miro Heiskanen's recovery hasn't had any setbacks since Pete DeBoer's last update and could play this Saturday. All the Stars need to do is weather the storm tonight, and they could get their top defensive player back for the remainder of the first round. That would be a welcome sight for the Stars as they try to take the series lead tonight. Here are the four keys to the game against the Avalanche tonight.
Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche Preview: 4. Brace for impact
Emotions are going to be high for the Colorado Avalanche heading into tonight's game against the Stars. Dallas needs to be prepared for Colorado to jump out of the gate, get things going early tonight, and feed off the crowd's emotion. The Stars have been in these types of situations, but without Heiskanen in the lineup tonight, it might be a bit harder for the Stars. If Dallas can withstand the storm out of the gate tonight, they can win the game and take the series lead.
Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche Preview: 3. Let the Moose eat tonight
Emotions will also be high for Mikko Rantanen since this will be his first playoff game as an opponent at Ball Arena. The Stars need to keep him on the top line and make sure he gets plenty of chances to score tonight. If the Stars want to take the series lead tonight, Rantanen must be fed. He's a proven playoff scorer, and it needs to appear on the score sheet tonight. If the Stars feed their Moose plenty of food tonight, they can subdue the emotions in Ball Arena.
Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche Preview: 2. Shut down MacKinnon
The Stars need to shut down Nathan MacKinnon if they want to beat the Avalanche tonight. They can't focus all their efforts on trying to shut down Landeskog and Cale Makar. MacKinnon is the bigger fish they need to worry about. He's won the league MVP award, so he's a known serial killer when it comes to scoring goals. Dallas might want to expedite Heiskanen's recovery timeline if the Stars cannot shut him down tonight.
Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche Preview: 1. Oettinger Demon Mode
The last key to the game tonight is that Jake Oettinger needs to activate his "demon mode" tonight. He needs to be on his game to withstand this storm that will unfold in Denver tonight. I'm sure he's mentally prepared, but playoff hockey is a whole other level from regular-season hockey. Oettinger needs to make sassy glove saves and shut down the Avalanche from taking over this series. Oettinger is the last line of defense, and he needs to be on top of his game if Landeskog returns tonight.