Dallas Stars fight for their lives in game six later tonight

The Stars are in the same position that they were in last season when they took on the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Finals. They will take on the Edmonton Oilers later tonight in an elimination game. The Stars can’t look back and think what could have been if they won any of the previous games in this series. Their only task is to win by any means necessary tonight. That means attacking Stuart Skinner to the point that the Oilers pull him from the game.

Everyone has to step up tonight if they want to play in another hockey game back in Dallas on Tuesday. That means veterans like Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Joe Pavelski must find the back of the net tonight. The young talent on the roster must step up as well. Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, and Wyatt Johnston must find ways to contribute to keeping their postseason run alive. Here are the three keys of the game tonight if the Stars want to force a game seven on Tuesday.

The Stars can’t afford the Oilers to go on the power play tonight. If you remember game five, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins found the back of the net on two straight power plays. The Stars must play clean to achieve that tonight. That means no unnecessary penalties against the Oilers, such as cross-checking a player in the back in front of the head official. If the Stars can stay out of the penalty box tonight, they have a shot of forcing game seven back in Dallas on Tuesday night.

Another key to the game is making sure Connor McDavid doesn’t make a difference tonight. Right now, McDavid has the pressure of Canada on his shoulders as they look to be the first Canadian team in the Stanley Cup Finals since 1993. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Miro Heiskanen receive the duties of covering him all night long in the Stars’ zone. If the Stars can shut down Connor McDavid tonight, it could help them win tonight’s game.

Lastly, the Stars must fire the puck at Skinner tonight if they want to force a game seven back in Dallas. They only had six shots on goal midway through game five. That won’t cut it if the Stars want to play the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They must attack the net with relentless force and chase him from the game. The Stars must stop the fancy passing in the Oilers’ zone tonight. If the Stars can pressure Skinner with shots tonight, it could help force a game seven in Dallas.