What a difference a week makes for the Dallas Stars. One week, the Stars were struggling to find the back of the net during even-strength play, and the next, they dropped a touchdown against the Montreal Canadiens this past Thursday. The Stars seem to be hitting their stride right when everyone is starting to get healthy again. That's great for Dallas as they are getting ready to celebrate Dallas Stars Hall of Fame Weekend by hosting the Philadelphia Flyers tonight.
The Flyers are coming off a comeback shootout win against the St. Louis Blues last night. The Stars might be getting a tired or an amped up version of the Flyers tonight. It's tough to tell because of how gassed they might be after that long game last night. However, the Stars need to be prepared for either version of the Flyers because they can steal points on the road. Here are the four keys to tonight's game against the Flyers at the American Airlines Center.
Dallas Stars vs. Philadelphia Flyers Recap: 4. Forget about the past week
The Stars need to forget about the wins this past week. Yes, it was great they swept their road trip in Canada; however, it's a new day, and they need to focus on what is in front of them. The Flyers would love nothing more than to steal two points from a distracted Stars team tonight. Dallas needs to be ready for the opening puck drop because the Flyers will be well-prepared. If the Stars are ready to go at the opening puck drop, the Stars should clip the Flyers.
Dallas Stars vs. Philadelphia Flyers Recap: 3. Feed Wyatt Johnston
You know, young players need to be fed during games, and Wyatt Johnston is not an exception. With the way he's playing right now, he's well on his way to making his current contract the biggest bargain in the league. The Stars need to do whatever it takes to ensure they feed the puck to Johnston tonight. Johnston is capable of scoring a couple of goals tonight. If Johnston gets hot and scores some goals tonight, the Stars should have no problem coasting to a win tonight.
Dallas Stars vs. Philadelphia Flyers Recap: 2. Shut down Trevor Zegras
The Dallas Stars need to do a good job of making sure that Trevor Zegras doesn't get the puck. He's one of their more dangerous players, having scored 6 goals and recorded 13 assists so far this season. He's the last person you want to see with the puck, even in a shootout, which we will get to in just a second. Miro Heiskanen and possibly Thomas Harley will have to play at their best to make sure Zegras doesn't have another heroic night on the road.
Dallas Stars vs. Philadelphia Flyers Recap: 1. Don't go to a shootout
The Flyers have one of the highest shootout victory percentages. The last thing the Stars need to do is allow this game to go to overtime and let the Flyers get back in the game. The Stars have to win the game in regulation; there are no exceptions. If the Stars can score seven goals against the Canadiens, they can score seven goals against the Flyers in regulation. Win the game in regulation and advance your win streak to five games should be the main goal for the Stars tonight.