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3 Keys to Dallas Stars staying alive in Game 4 vs Vegas Golden Knights
The Dallas Stars face elimination on Thursday, trailing the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in the Western Conference finals. For Dallas to stay alive and push this series back to Vegas, it needs three things to go perfectly. Let's dive into each.
3 Keys for the Dallas Stars to stay alive in Game 4 vs Vegas Golden Knights
#1 Controlling the emotions
Game 3 was an emotional loss for the Dallas Stars.
Dallas allowed an early goal, lost its captain just two minutes into the game to a game misconduct, and was dominated by Vegas for the entire 60 minutes in a lopsided 4-0 defeat.
Now, the Stars are forced to stave off elimination without the help of Jamie Benn, who was suspended two games for his cross-check on Mark Stone, and Evgenii Dadonov, who will miss at least Game 4 with a lower-body injury.
That is a lot to take in on top of the pressure of needing to win to keep their season alive and having a long road ahead of them if they are to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in four seasons.
Dallas has to take all of this emotion in and channel it correctly.
That means not taking unnecessary penalties, not getting ejected from the game, and most importantly, it means sticking to the Dallas Stars hockey that made them so successful up to this point.
#2 A Jake Oettinger response
One player whose emotion and mental strength will be severely tested is netminder Jake Oettinger. Oettinger was pulled just over seven minutes into Game 3, the shortest start of his career, after allowing three goals on only five shots.
Oettinger has been pulled four times during this playoffs and has recorded the worst statistical game and two shortest starts of his career. Dallas needs Oettinger to prove his mental toughness once again in Game 4.
#3 Stars fans, are you ready?
Game 3 was an embarrassing one, not only for the Dallas Stars, but for their fanbase.
After the game began to get out of hand, the Stars took a load of penalties and their fans began to throw debris out onto the ice and in the direction of the Golden Knights
This does not belong in hockey and it does not belong in sports.
When the third period began, the American Airlines Center looked to be nearly half empty, as the home crowd headed out early and dismissed any hope of a potential comeback. It was an ugly scene.
Stars fans need to be better in Game 4. The loud and supportive crowd that Dallas has grown accustomed to needs to be back.
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