The Dallas Stars will look to keep the momentum going coming off of a 3-2 shootout win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.
The Stars have an opportunity to pick up some important points within the Division since they play three divisional games this week. On Sunday night, they will travel to Colorado to take on the Avalanche. They will take on the red hot Nashville Predators on Tuesday night, and then travel to St. Louis for a match up against the first place Blues. They will finish up their week at home against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Stars will need to make sure that they know where Nathan MacKinnon is at all times when he is on the ice since he leads the Avalanche in assists and points. Dallas needs to have a big game from Kari Lehtonen, who needs to make saves and not allow any soft goals. The Stars also need to take advantage of the weak penalty kill of Colorado even though the Avalanche are very good at killing penalties at home (~90%). Dallas will need to make sure that they have the lead after the second period since they have yet to have any third period comebacks. The Stars will need to finish the game better than they have all season, and play really good defense since they have been outscored 29-17 in third periods this year.
Colorado need to play a full 60 minute game since they tend to have trouble containing teams in the second period, where they have been outscored 34-26. The Avalanche need to make sure that they have a lead after two periods since they have only gotten points in two games when trailing entering the third period this year. The Avs need to stay out of the penalty box since their overall penalty kill hasn't been great despite its success at home, and the Stars power play can be lethal at times. Colorado will need to contain the top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov if they want to have any chance at winning or keeping the game close. The Avalanche will also need to keep an eye on John Klingberg when he is on the ice because the defenseman like to join the play in the offensive zone, and leads the Stars in assists this year.
Dallas returns home on Tuesday night to take on the defending Western Conference Champions, Nashville Predators, who are coming off of a red hot month of November. The Stars will need to play a solid defensive game and keep the balanced attack of the Preds off balance. Dallas will need to be aware of the Predators defensemen, who like to join the play in the offensive zone, and even rush the puck up the ice. The Stars need to play a discipline game since the Preds have one of the best power plays in the League. Dallas will need a big game from either Ben Bishop or Kari Lehtonen since the Preds offense has been clicking lately. The Stars will also want to get the first goal of the game to keep the home crowd in the game.
Nashville will want to keep the balanced attack coming against the Stars, since Dallas can also put the puck in the net. The Predators will need to have a lead entering the final frame since they don't have a third period come-from-behind win in five tries. The Preds will need to have a better start to the game and bring the energy from the drop of the puck. Nashville will also need to get its power play going on the road since they have only six power play goals in 48 opportunities so far. The Predators will need to have a big game from the goaltending since the Stars can put the puck in the net, and keep coming even when down.
The Stars will play their third straight divisional game on Thursday night when they visit the St. Louis Blues. Dallas will need to get the forecheck game going early to keep the offensive attack going and the Blues in their own end, defending. The Stars will need to keep an eye on Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz, who are the two leading point producers on the team, and just happen to play on the same line. Dallas will need to take advantage of their power play opportunities since the Blues penalty kill at home is under 80%. The Stars will need to make sure that they play a solid team defensive game including the defensemen, forwards and goalie. They will want to avoid the turnovers and take care of the puck since the Blues will force the opposition to turn the puck over.
St. Louis will be bringing their physical game, but they need to be discipline while bringing that physical game. The Blues will need to force some turnovers especially in the offensive and neutral zones. St. Louis will need to keep an eye on Seguin and Radulov, who are putting decent offensive numbers while playing together. The Blues will need to get a good game from the goaltending and not allow any soft goals. St. Louis wants to get the first goal of the game to keep the crowd fully involved in the game.
The Stars end their week with a non-divisional game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Dallas will need to keep an eye on William Karlsson, who is red hot and the leading goal scorer and point producer on Vegas. The Stars will need to get another good game from their goaltending since the Golden Knights have a balanced lineup that can get pucks on net. Dallas will need to take full advantage of playing at home since they haven't been great on the road this year. They need to get the first goal and keep attacking, don't sit back and try to hold onto the lead or they will get burned by the Golden Knights.
The Golden Knights will need to the goaltending to come up big for them since the Stars can put the puck in the net. Vegas will need to be better closing out the game since they have been outscored 36-27 in the third periods of games this year. The Golden Knights should know where Jamie Benn is on the ice at all times. Vegas need to stay out of the penalty box because they don't do a good job killing penalties, and the Stars have a dangerous power play. The Golden Knights need to play a solid, 60 minute road game and limit the chances of the Stars.
