Shooting Stars: Weekly Preview 12/31/17-1/6/18

The Dallas Stars are ending the year and ringing in the new year with a busy schedule. They will play four games in seven days, but the good thing is that they will all be at home. 

The Stars end 2017 with the San Jose Sharks in town. On Tuesday night, Dallas will play host to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have been struggling lately. On Thursday, it is the red hot New Jersey Devils turn to visit the Stars. Dallas will end the week with a visit from the suddenly hot Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid.

The Stars will need to stay out of the penalty box against the Sharks, who have the sixth best power play in the League. Dallas should try to get the first goal of the game an keep the home crowd in the game right off the bat. The Stars must have the lead when entering the final period of the game since they don't have any come from behind wins when trailing after two periods. Dallas needs to make sure that they are good at even strength because the special teams of the Sharks are really good. The Stars must get the defense involved in the offense and use the stretch pass to breakout of their own zone.

The Sharks will need to get some good goaltending from either Martin Jones or Aaron Dell. They should get their forecheck and cycle game going early and often. San Jose need to play with discipline and not take any dumb penalties. The Sharks will need to get off to a better start since they have been outscored in the first period of games by three goals. The Sharks must get traffic in front of the Stars net because if the goalies can see the puck then they will likely stop it.

Dallas will need to get their power play going against the Blue Jackets since their penalty killing is in the middle of the pack in the League. The Stars must have the lead entering the final period of the game, and must play better in the final period since they are getting outscored 42-28 by their opponents. It would benefit the Stars to get the first goal of the game. Dallas needs to keep an eye out for when Zach Werenski and Seth Jones are on the ice for Columbus since the two defensemen can drive the play in the offensive zone. The Stars need the defense to be good and that includes the forwards helping out.

The Blue Jackets are going to need the power play to get going if they want any chance to win this game. Columbus has been struggling in their last 10 games so they want to get back on track and play with better effort. The Blue Jackets need to play a full 60 minutes and not just play 40 minutes. Columbus is going to need to stop the trio of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and John Klingberg since they are three of the top players on Dallas at driving the offense. The Blue Jackets will need to get good goaltending in this game since Dallas has the offensive power to score some goals.

The Metropolitan leading New Jersey Devils will visit the Stars on Thursday night. The Stars need to get off to another good start in this game and be sure to get the forecheck established early. Dallas wants to stay out of the penalty box since they will be facing another good power play unit. The Stars need to play a solid 60 minute game and make sure that the whole team is involved from the drop of the puck.

The Devils need to force some turnovers and capitalize on them. New Jersey will want to keep an eye out for Alexander Radulov and Esa Lindell since they both can put up some numbers on the offensive side of the puck. The Devils should try to win the even strength battle and just play their game. New Jersey needs to play a solid, 60 minute road game and not give up too many chances or goals.

The Stars end the week with a visit from the suddenly hot Edmonton Oilers. Dallas needs to take advantage of a very weak penalty kill of the Oilers, who rank last in killing off penalties taken. The Stars should try to get the first goal of the game and keep Connor McDavid off the board, or at least in check during the game. Dallas should have the lead entering the final period of the game. The Stars want to keep an eye on the centers of the Oilers because they can really skate and drive play in the offensive zone. Dallas needs to win the even strength battle.

The Oilers want to win the special team battle since the teams numbers at even strength are similar. Edmonton needs to play a consistent 60 minutes and not have mental lapses during the game. The Oilers should have the lead entering the final period since they don't have many come from behind wins in the third period. Edmonton will want to keep an eye on Matthias Janmark and Radek Faksa since they can put the puck in the net. The Oilers need to get some good goaltending in order to keep pace with the Stars in this game. 

Shooting Stars: Weekly Preview 12/24/17-12/30/17

The Dallas Stars look to pick up some pivotal points against the competition this week since they play two games against Central Division opponents.

The Stars will visit the Minnesota Wild tonight. Dallas will then come home for a Friday night game against the St. Louis Blues, who are currently leading the division by one point.

Dallas will need to get off to a fast start against the Wild, including getting the first goal of the game to take the home crowd out of the game. The Stars need to win the special teams battle and try to get their power play back on track, which has been struggling lately. Dallas needs to have a solid defense effort including the forwards helping out and limiting their mistakes with and without the puck. They need to avoid the mental lapses that can happen throughout the game. One of the biggest problem with the Stars this year has been their consistency, whether it has been from period-to-period or game-to-game, and they need to play a consistent 60  minutes on the road tonight to get two points. The Stars will need to keep an eye on Eric Staal, who leads the Wild in goals and points. 

The Wild need to be better at even strength since they've allowed more goals than scored when playing 5-on-5 hockey. Minnesota needs to find a way to contain Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, and they can do that by having sustained offensive zone pressure. The Wild must stop the balanced attack of the Stars since they can roll four lines that can get scoring chances. Minnesota should have a better finish to the game if they want a chance at getting two big points at home. Alex Stalock is going must have a big game and make crucial saves for the Wild tonight. 

Dallas will return home on Friday night to take on a St. Louis team that has been average in their last 10 games played. The Stars should come out with some energy, get in on the forecheck and get the first goal of the game to keep the home crowd into the game. Dallas need to limits their mistakes because the Blues will take advantage of them. The Stars must be aware of when Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko are on the ice since they are the leading scorers on the team. Dallas needs to get good goaltending in this game, and not allow any soft goals. The Stars should try to have the lead entering the third period since they have zero third period comebacks this year.

St. Louis needs to have the lead entering the third period since they only have two wins in regulation when trailing after two periods. The Blues should keep an eye on when Alexander Radulov and John Klingberg are on the ice because they can score and setup teammates. St. Louis needs to get their power play going because that is one of the weak spots on the team. The Blues just need to get some shots on net, and make sure that there is traffic in front. St. Louis is giving up way too many third period goals this year (45), but they have also scored a lot (46). 

Shooting Stars: Weekly Preview 11/12/17-11/18/17

The Dallas Stars have a good opportunity to pick up some much needed points this week.

They’ll face the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night, who are last in the Metropolitan Division. On Tuesday, they will travel to Florida to take on the Panthers, who are last in the Atlantic Division. They’ll then take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night and finish out the week against the
EdMonton Oilers on Saturday night. The Oilers have been struggling to put the puck in the net so far this season.

The Stars will need to need to find a way to contain Carolina’s Jeff Skinner, who leads the team in goals and is second in points. Dallas has good special teams and should use that to their advantage and cash in on their power plays. The Stars will need to play a solid 60-minute game, and not take off because the Canes will take advantage of any mistakes made. Dallas needs to get off to a fast start, establish the forecheck and not overtook the Hurricanes. The game could be close defensively so the Stars are going to have to use their speed and use the stretch pass to get behind the defense.

Carolina will need to make sure that they play a good game at even strength since the special teams aren’t too good. The Canes will need to make sure that they keep an eye on Alexander Radulov since he can produce points. The Hurricanes need to get the first goal of the game since they are 4-1-1 when doing so. The goaltending is going to need to come up big for Carolina since the Stars have some offensive weapons that can put the puck in the net. If Carolina has a power play then they’ll need to be sure to take advantage of it since Dallas doesn’t have he beat road penalty kill.

Dallas will need to stop the top four (Huberdeau, Barkov, Trocheck & Dadonov) of the Panthers and make the rest of the lineup beat them. The Stars will need to get some pucks on net with traffic in front since neither goalie for Florida has been spectacular this year. The Stars need to watch out for the defensive corps of the Panthers because they will join in the offensive zone. Dallas needs to make sure that they have the lead entering the third period since they don’t have any third period comebacks for wins this year.

The Panthers are going to need to play a strong even strength game since their special teams aren't that good. They'll need to have a better start to this game, and get some scoring chances and offensive pressure early since they have been outscored in first period of games this year. Florida will need to find a way to stop the balanced attack of the Stars by establishing a forecheck and cycle game to play in the offensive zone. The Panthers need to play a disciplined game since the Stars have the best power play in the League. Florida needs to avoid mistakes with the puck and turnovers.

Ben Bishop and the Stars will then go and visit Tampa Bay to play the Lighting. Dallas will need to avoid mistakes with and without the puck and also not turn the puck over. They will need to contain Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov by spending some time in the offensive zone and less time defending. Dallas will need to take advantage of the bad home penalty kill of the Bolts. The Stars will need to get the first goal of the game to take the crowd out of the game.

The Bolts will need to use their speed to enter the offensive zone. Tampa Bay will need to be good at even strength since the Stars are in the top three in both power play and penalty kill percentage. The Bolts need to get off to a fast start and just keep bringing the pressure. Tampa Bay will need to play a full 60 minutes since the Stars have guys that can put the puck in the net at any given time. They'll need to get pucks on net and pressure the defense to force turnovers in the neutral zone and offensive zone.

The Stars return home on Saturday to face Connor McDavid and the Oilers, who haven't gotten off to the best start this year. The Stars will need to find a way to contain McDavid and his speed since once he gets going, the will blow right by the defender to create something out of nothing. Dallas need to get pucks on net since the goalies haven't been as good as they were last season. They also need to get off to a fast start to keep the home crowd in the game, and maybe even score the first goal of the game. The Stars will need to have a good game defensively meaning elimination of turnovers, good coverage by all five guys on the ice and timely saves from whichever goalie happens to be in the net.

Edmonton will need to get pucks to the net with traffic in front and get a dirty goal or two to get the offense going. They'll need to stay out of the penalty box. The Oilers need to win the even strength battle to even have a shot at winning the game since the Stars special teams are that good. Edmonton will need to have the goalie steal a game for them. The Oilers will need to play a solid road game and play a good first 10 minutes of the game to be scoreless and get the offense involved in the game a little. 

Shooting Stars: Weekly Preview 10/15/17-10/21/17

The Dallas Stars should be able to get some wins this week since they have a home-and-home with the Arizona Coyotes and face the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Stars take on the Coyotes at home on Tuesday night, then again on Thursday in Arizona before finishing up their week back home to face the Hurricanes, who have struggled a little to start the season.

The Stars will need to get the first goal of the game when they face the Coyotes. They also will need to not look past Arizona thinking it is going to be an easy four points and two wins. Dallas needs to stay out of the penalty box since they don't have a great penalty kill of their own and the Coyotes have a good power play. The Stars need to get off to a fast start and establish the tone of the games early since they only have three first period goals. Dallas needs to keep an eye on Clayton Keller and Max Domi, who are tied for the team lead in points.

The Coyotes will need to get the first goal of the game, and get a ton of pucks on net. They will also need to pressure the defense of the Stars to force some turnovers. Arizona needs to be willing to work in the two games and win some board battles to establish some offensive zone time. The Coyotes have to watch out for the defensemen since they like to join the play in the offensive zone. Arizona needs to find a way to contain the offense of the Stars since they can bring a balanced attack and put the puck in the net.

The Stars need to keep an eye on the balanced attack of the Carolina Hurricanes. Dallas needs to be physical and force turnovers. The Stars need to get traffic in front of the net so they can take away the goalie's eyes. Dallas needs to have a solid 60 minute effort, and not look past the Hurricanes. The goalie is going to have to make saves since the 'Canes do manage to get a ton of shots on net.

Carolina will need to keep firing the puck on net because the Stars will give up some goals. The Hurricanes need to find a way to stop the balanced attack of the Stars since all four lines can produce and spend time in the offensive zone. The 'Canes need to get off to a better start and score some first period goals since they only have two of them in three games. Carolina needs to take sure that they know where Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are when they are on the ice. The Hurricanes need to get the first goal of the game and play a solid defensive game.