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Three Takeaways from Nashville Predators' dominating 6-3 win against Dallas Stars
The Nashville Predators are still holding a wildcard spot in the Western Conference, thanks to an impressive 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars on Friday Night, spoiling the return of NHL All-Star Jake Oettinger.
On the scoresheet, Ryan O'Reilly collected three points, while Matt Duchene had two points in the loss, with both veterans earning their 10th multi-point game of the season.
Between the pipes, Oettinger had 32 saves on 36 shots, the fourth-highest total of the season, while Kevin Lankinen stopped 19 of 22 in a relief appearance for Juuse Saros.
Three Takeaways from Nashville Predators' dominating 6-3 win against Dallas Stars
#1. Jake Oettinger was going to be rusty after missing a month
Although Oettinger gave up six goals in his first appearance since Dec. 15, 2023, he was bound to be a little rusty without skating in an NHL game for a month. Despite being named an All-Star, the American-born goalie would not be as sharp after rehabbing from injury and only getting in some practice time before returning.
Luckily, the Stars survived his absence with outstanding play from Scott Wedgewood, who went 7-3-2 during the stretch. Ultimately, the crease belongs to Oettinger, and his performance against Nashville on Friday is just a minor hiccup and should be nothing for Dallas fans to worry about.
#2. Veteran players are going to lead the Predators to the playoffs
As evidenced by their convincing 6-3 win over the Stars, the Predators' veteran players like O'Reilly (three points), Filip Forsberg (goal and assist), and Roman Josi (three helpers) contributed to the scoreboard. They will be responsible for the team qualifying for the playoffs.
Of course, successful teams spread their offense around, but when the supporting cast follows the lead of the superstars, most teams become unstoppable. During the offseason, Predators' management set out to retool the lineup, adding a champion O'Reilly is paying dividends, especially in crucial games like Friday night.
#3. The Stars need to pounce earlier on their opponents
Considering the Stars are among the top teams in the Western Conference and the NHL, they shouldn't be waiting late into games to get their first goal, especially against a backup goalie. After trailing 2-0 after two periods, they rallied back to make a game of it in the third but wound up chasing the play for 60 minutes.
Even though they have an abundance of snipers in the lineup like Joe Pavelski, Jason Robertson, and Jamie Benn, there's no reason why the Stars, the third-highest-scoring team in the league, would be held off the board for extended periods.
Of course, that's not always the case for the Stars, who are known to blow teams out, but against an opponent below them in the standings, like the Predators, these games are vital for securing points in crucial playoff races.
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