Well, the last four games by the Dallas Stars have been less than ideal. Those efforts, except for the previous game against the Los Angeles Kings, don't live up to the Texas Hockey slogan. The Stars welcome the Carolina Hurricanes as they wrap up their three-game homestand at the American Airlines Center tonight. The Hurricanes are limping right now, with a couple of crutches, given all the injuries they are going through. However, the Stars can't feel sorry for them, and all they have to do is earn two points tonight.
One of the players the Stars need to show up tonight is Roope Hintz. I know some of you weren't happy with the tweet I directed at Hintz's effort in overtime; however, when you are getting paid eight million dollars a season, you can't pull up trying to close the gap on Adrian Kempe in overtime. I also want to see Hintz find the back of the net. Here are the four keys to tonight's matchup against the Hurricanes at the American Airlines Center.
Dallas Stars vs. Carolina Hurricanes Preview: 4. Get up and down the ice
The Stars need to be ready for tonight's game against the Hurricanes. They have some young forwards that can get up the ice on a moment's notice. That includes former Dallas Stars prospect Logan Stankoven, who is thriving in Carolina. I don't want to see the Stars take their sweet time getting back on defense to help Jake Oettinger keep it out of the net. If the Stars can get back on defense in a jiffy, they should be able to shut down the Hurricanes' offense tonight.
Dallas Stars vs. Carolina Hurricanes Preview: 3. Get Roope Hintz in the groove
One player that I'm shocked hasn't been much of a threat on offense so far this season is Hintz. A couple of seasons ago, he was one of the most-feared forwards in the league. To begin this season, he's been in a turtle shell waiting to see if it's all clear to come out. The Stars need to do a good job of setting Hintz up for success tonight if they want to beat the Hurricanes. While I'm sure Mikko Rantanen is ready for revenge, I want to see Hintz have a night on offense to jumpstart his goalscoring.
Dallas Stars vs. Carolina Hurricanes Preview: 2. Shut down Seth Jarvis
The Dallas Stars need to keep Seth Jarvis under control tonight if they want to have a shot at beating the Hurricanes. Jarvis has seven goals and four assists so far this season and will want to add more when they take on the Stars tonight. Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley better be ready to shadow him in the Stars' zone. The last thing Oettinger wants is to have to deal with him alone tonight. If the Stars can shut down Jarvis from being a nuisance, they can snap their losing streak.
Dallas Stars vs. Carolina Hurricanes Preview: 1. Can Mikko Rantanen unleash his fury?
I'm sure Rantanen would love to make the Hurricanes pay for trading him to the Dallas Stars last season. The Stars need Rantanen to attack the net like he did against the Kings on Thursday night. Rantanen is probably one of the most respected players by opposing coaches because they put so much emphasis on stopping him. Time for the moose to show that preparing for him is a waste of time because his scoring is inevitable tonight. It's time for teams to fear the moose when playing at the American Airlines Center.