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Dallas Stars: How big of a role could Jani Hakanpaa play in Game 3 vs Vegas?
The Dallas Stars enter Game 3 trailing the Vegas Golden Knights 2-0 in the Western Conference finals.
One player that has not yet hit the ice in the Conference finals is Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa.
Hakanpaa was injured in the second round against the Seattle Kraken and has missed the past three games for Dallas. The Stars have gone 1-2 in those games.
Hakanpaa is available to play tonight, according to Stars coach Pete DeBoer.
Hakanpaa's potential return is far more important than it seems. Although the big defender does not provide much on the offensive end, his physicality and penalty killing are greatly beneficial.
During the regular season, Jani Hakanpaa led all Stars skaters with 224 hits during the regular season. That is 100 more than the next guy on the list. Vegas has outhit Dallas 60-44 in the first two games.
Hakanpaa also plays heavy shorthanded minutes and helps Dallas shut down opposing power play opportunities.
Stars defender Jani Hakanpaa provides balance on Dallas blue line
Another key with Hakanpaa in the lineup is the consistency and depth on the blue line. Hakanpaa usually lines up on the right of Esa Lindell, leaving some combination of Miro Heiskanen, Ryan Suter, Thomas Harley, Colin Miller and Joel Hanley to round out the six defenders.
Without him, it forces Pete DeBoer to insert both Hanley and Harley into the lineup, giving Dallas five, if not six left-handed defensemen while placing far heavier responsibility on a 21-year-old and a known seventh defender.
Game 3 is a monumental one for Dallas. The success rate of teams down 3-0 is less than 2% and the Stars know that if they can take home one win on Tuesday, the series could quickly be tied heading back to Vegas for Game 5.
In Game 3, they all but face elimination.
"It's not unfamiliar territory for us," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said on Monday. "We've faced a lot of things, including straight out elimination, so I don't think we're overwhelmed by the situation. I think there's some really good building blocks in the last game that we have to take and put in place. You've just got to grind out one win and then the series looks different."
If Dallas has any chance of winning Game 3, they need to be more physical and more consistent with the way they play.
Jani Hakanpaa can bring that to the Stars blue line if he returns tonight.
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