Dallas Stars look to force game five against the Knights
It feels like the season's on the line for the Stars tonight in Vegas. The Stars brought the aggressiveness in game two but ended up losing to the Vegas Golden Knights. Logan Thompson played lights out and is starting to be a pain in the rear like Adin Hill was last season. The Stars have to play like they are fighting to make the playoffs in game three tonight against the Golden Knights. Everything should be an option for Pete DeBoer tonight to force game five back in Dallas.
The Stars don't have many chances left to extend the series. If the Stars lose the next two games, they will exit the Stanley Cup playoffs early. It will feel like the season was a waste after becoming the Western Conference Champions and earning home-ice advantage through the Western Conference Finals. DeBoer must find a way to crack the code to beat the Golden Knights. Here are the three keys of the game tonight against the Golden Knights.
The Stars did an outstanding job of this in game two after the opening faceoff. It looked like a completely different team as the Stars checked the Golden Knights into the boards. They must play like that again tonight to force game five in Dallas. They can't afford to trail early in the game, or it feels like the Stars' season is over. If Dallas can be physical against the Knights out of the gate, they should force game five.
The Stars must stop Jonathan Marchessault if they want to force game five back in Dallas. He has scored in the first two games of this series. You could say he has saved the Golden Knights' season by scoring 42 games this season. He is a very crafty player that's dangerous with the puck on his stick. Chris Tanev has done a great job covering him on the ice, and the Stars need him to do that again tonight. If the Stars can shut Marchessault down, they can win the game tonight.
It was reported that the Stars put their lines in a blender during practice yesterday to produce more offense for game three. Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson were paired with Wyatt Johnston, which should give the top line some speed. The Stars must change their lines because the offense was stagnant with the original lines. To survive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, you must try everything to live another day. If the Stars change their lines tonight, it should help them win the game.
