Well, I don't know if you are still in the middle of your turkey coma yet, but I'm still trying to get over the fact that Texas Women's Basketball beat both UCLA and South Carolina in 24 hours. The fact that Texas had only eight players for the tournament they were in makes those wins even more remarkable. Enough of my Thanksgiving rant, and it's time to take a field trip with Ms. Frizzle back to 1999 on the Magic School Bus later tonight. We are going back to 1999, the year the Stars won the Stanley Cup.
The Dallas Stars will debut their new alternate jersey, the '99, versus the Utah Mammoth. It's the first time the Stars have taken on Utah since they changed their name to the Mammoth. Even though it will feel awesome to debut the jerseys and Otter's new lid, the Stars can't take the Mammoth lightly tonight. They are still a good team that loves to create upsets on the road. Here are the four keys to tonight's tilt against the Mammoth.
Dallas Stars vs. Utah Mammoth Preview: 4. Don't get caught all high and mighty
After winning seven out of eight points on the road, the last thing the Stars need to have happen is for them to feel like they are on top of the world. I want to see the Stars play tonight's game like they are fighting for home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Just because you are debuting a new jersey tonight doesn't mean you get the night off. Just go with the flow, and forget you even have the new jersey on. If the Stars stay level-headed tonight, they can beat the Mammoth.
Dallas Stars vs. Utah Mammoth Preview: 3. Attack the front of the net
One thing that drove me crazy in the last game against the Seattle Kraken was that the Stars stopped attacking the front of the net near the end. While the Stars were able to come away with the victory, just because you have a one-goal lead doesn't mean you should take your foot off the gas pedal. It's legal to keep scoring goals when you have the lead in a hockey game. The Stars might be in for a world of hurt if they decide to take their foot off the gas pedal with a one-goal lead against the Mammoth.
Dallas Stars vs. Utah Mammoth Preview: 2. Shut down Logan Cooley
The Stars need to shut down Logan Cooley before he begins the new ice age in Dallas tonight. Cooley is the Mammoth's leading scorer with 13 goals and 9 assists going into tonight's game at the American Airlines Center. It's going to be a long game for the Stars if they leave him unguarded in front of Oettinger tonight. Allowing Cooley to circle the Stars' net is not a good idea to beat the Mammoth. Shut him down and increase your win streak to three games tonight.
Dallas Stars vs. Utah Mammoth Preview: 1. Depth guys need to show up
One thing I love about the Stars is their ability to score goals using their depth players. We saw Nathan Bastian come close to recording a hat trick against the Edmonton Oilers. Even though he didn't get the hat trick, Stars' fans gave him an honorary one after the game. I want to see some players like Colin Blackwell and Esa Lindell get in the mix tonight. The Stars are a better team if everyone contributes to scoring, and they need that against the Mammoth tonight.