Tonight's game in Winnipeg feels like the Super Bowl for the Dallas Stars tonight. With a win, the Stars inch closer to overtaking the Central Division. With a loss, winning the division seems like a long shot. With Roope Hintz and Lian Bichsel out tonight, the Stars need all hands on deck to pull off an upset against a healthy Jets squad. Mikko Rantanen will have to step up and lead the Stars to victory. It could be a long night if the Jets can shut him down.
It will be an absolute showstopping goaltending battle tonight. Jake Oettinger will go up against Connor Hellebuyck in the battle of the top two American goaltenders. They were both teammates on Team USA for the 4-Nations tournament back in Feburary. Now, they are sworn enemies going up against each other. It's going to be a great matchup on a Friday night. Here are the four keys of the game tonight against the Winnipeg Jets.
Dallas Stars vs. Winnipeg Jets: 4. Defense needs to step up
If they want to win tonight, the Stars' defense must step up against the Winnipeg Jets. They will be short Lian Bichsel and Miro Heiskanen, which is less than ideal for the Stars. Players like Matt Dumba and Thomas Harley must be on their A-game against the Jets tonight. The atmosphere the Stars are walking into will be hostile tonight. The defense can't let the crowd get to their head. It could be a long Friday night in Winnipeg if the Stars' defense doesn't show up.
Dallas Stars vs. Winnipeg Jets: 3. Help Oettinger
Jake Oettinger will need help from his teammates to stop this high-octane offense the Jets have this season. The Jets have surprised everyone with how well they are playing with a new coach at the helm. I've seen the Jets take down some of the best Eastern Conference teams this season without breaking a sweat. Oettinger can't win this game all by himself. He needs help from his teammates, or else the Winnipeg Jets can separate themselves from the Stars in the Central Division standings.
Dallas Stars vs. Winnipeg Jets: 2. Stop Mark Scheifele
The last player the Stars need to have a night is Mark Scheifele. He has 35 goals and 37 assists going into tonight's matchup with the Stars. Kyle Connor is another player they will need to keep an eye on, but Scheifele is one heck of a playmaker. I don't know what their new head coach has done to unlock Scheifele's play-making ability, but it's working. Look for the Stars to slow down Scheifele and Connor tonight to walk away with two points in Winnipeg.
Dallas Stars vs. Winnipeg Jets: 1. Get Rantanen involved
The Stars need to get Rantanen involved in the offense if they want to win tonight. I know not having Hintz in the lineup is not ideal, but the Stars need to see Rantanen earn that paycheck against the Jets. The Stars traded for Rantanen because he is a good playmaker and scorer. Now is the time to see if it was worth trading for him against the top team in the Western Conference tonight. If Rantanen finds the scoresheet tonight, the Stars have a good chance of winning the game.