Shooting Stars: Two Road, Two Home
The Dallas Stars are looking to bounce back from a rough opening week. In the first game of the season, the injuries piled up. Then it was time to face the defending Stanley Cup Champions, St. Louis Blues, and they lost that game too. The Stars have fallen behind in the standings early and it could come back to haunt them playing in a tough Central Division. The offense has been missing in the first two games, and the big guns need to find a way to get it going.
This week doesn’t get any easier for the Stars, as they take on the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday at 7 p.m. On Tuesday night, it’s a trip to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Capitals. The Calgary Flames will visit the Dallas Stars on Thursday night, and then the Capitals visit Dallas to end the Stars’ week. This week doesn’t seem any easier, but if the offense can find a way to get going then they will be able to steal some games.
1) Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019 – Stars @ Red Wings – 7 p.m. ET
The Stars are looking for its first win of the season, while the Red Wings are looking to gain some momentum from its season opening win. The Stars need to find a way to get Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov going. One way to do that would be to put the trio back on the same line for the game, but that takes some offense away from the other three lines. In order to win the game, the Stars need to stop the top six of the Red Wings because they do a majority of the scoring. Another way the Stars could win this game is to get the power play going, which might also get the big trio going.
The Red Wings aren’t projected to be very good this season, but they bring the element of speed to their game. If the team plays with speed and keeps its feet moving then there is a good chance that it will be able to take away two points. The Red Wings need to get some depth scoring because the top six can’t do it all and will be a focus for the Stars. The Red Wings want to take care of the puck and avoid turnovers. They should also be aware of where the Stars defenseman are on the ice since they can contribute on the offensive side of the puck.
2) Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019 – Stars @ Capitals – 7 p.m. ET
The Stars need to find a way to stop the balanced attack of the Capitals especially since Evgeny Kuznetsov will be back in the lineup, after serving his three-game suspension. The Stars should avoid the penalty box since there is a talented power play personnel group on the Capitals team. Ben Bishop or Anton Khudobin will be required to have a decent game assuming that the Stars want to come home with two points and a win. The depth scoring is going to be key in this game especially if the top six still haven’t gotten it going come Tuesday night.
This will be foward Evgeny Kuznetsov’s first game of the season, and that will give the Capitals a big boost. The team shouldn’t expect the win just because the Stars have struggled to start the season. The neutral zone game of the Caps is going to need to be solid and they should also avoid turnovers. The Stars can be forced into turning over the puck so a solid forecheck is recommended for the Capitals throughout the game. The biggest key to this game for the Capitals is to play a full 60 minutes and compete for the full game.
3) Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019 – Flames @ Stars – 8: 30 p.m. ET
The Stars finally return home after a three-game road trip that started last Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. The team should make an attempt to stop the top line of the Calgary Flames since most of the production comes from that line. The puck should find a way to the net especially if there is some traffic in front of the goalie. The Stars shouldn’t overpass, but take the shot when it is there, just to get some players on the stat sheet. It would be a huge boost for this team if Seguin, Benn and Radulov can get involved offensively and put some points on the board.
The Flames need to score first to take the home crowd out of the game. A big reason for the Flames taking home two points will be the depth scoring. The Stars will shut down the top line so the depth scorers should take it upon themselves to get pucks to the net, and find a way to contribute to the offense. The Stars defensemen can and will contribute on the offensive side of the puck because they can skate and move the puck so the Flames need to be aware of where they are on the ice at all times.
4) Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019 – Capitals @ Stars – 8 p.m. ET
The Stars take on the Capitals for the second time in three days, but this time they have the home ice advantage. The team is going to want to set the tone early with either a physical play or a goal. The depth production will be needed in this game because the top six has a chance to get kept off the board. The Stars will find it necessary to get to some dirty but good goals with guys in front of the net for deflections or rebound chances. The key to this game is the Stars playing smart, disciplined hockey for 60 minutes.
The Capitals would benefit from getting the first goal of the game since the Stars haven’t looked good playing from behind in the early season. The team should also take care of the puck, even with the Stars struggling offensively because one mistake could get Dallas going. One of the bigger problems for the Capitals early in the season is playing a full 60 minutes, which is something they should try to do against this Stars team. If the Capitals can get that first goal then just keep attacking and putting pucks on net for chances.
Shooting Stars Weekly Prediction
The Stars finish the week with a 2-1-1 record picking up five of a possible eight points. The big boys finally get involved in the offense and lead the team to a few wins this week. Miro Heiskanen continues his amazing plays and picks up some points during the four games this week. The two wins come against the Red Wings and Flames (in overtime). The regulation loss comes against the Capitals while on the road. The overtime loss comes when facing the Capitals at home on Saturday.
