The Dallas Stars are set to take on the Winnipeg Jets tonight at 8:30 p.m. in Game 1 of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Both teams advanced into the second round following a grueling seven-game series, with the Stars taking down the Colorado Avalanche and the Jets defeating the St. Louis Blues.
The two most important factors in this series will likely be the goalie performance and the physicality of each team’s play.
Dallas relied heavily on goalie Jake Oettinger during their first-round series against the Avalanche, and that trend will likely continue in the second round of these playoffs.
Oettinger allowed just 2.85 goals per game in the first round while finishing with a save percentage of 91.1%, making him one of the most consistent goalies throughout both the regular season and postseason.
On the other hand, Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck struggled in the Jets’ first-round series, allowing 3.85 goals per game and finishing with a save percentage of just 83%.
Despite the issues Hellebuyck had in the first round, he remains one of the most effective goalies in the entire league when playing at his best.
Both Oettinger and Hellebuyck have the potential to completely shut down an opposing team and win the game on their own.
The second most important factor in this series will be which team plays a more physical style of hockey.
Neither Dallas nor Winnipeg was incredibly physical during the regular season, with Winnipeg ranking just 18th in total hits during the regular season.
Although Dallas ranked amongst the lowest in hits during the regular season, finishing second-to-last in total hits, this team’s physicality seemingly improved during large stretches to start this postseason.
Dallas should also receive a significant bump with the expected returns of defenseman Miro Heiskanen and forward Jason Robertson.
Heiskanen has been unavailable since the beginning of February due to a knee injury that required surgery.
Similarly, Robertson has missed just under a month with a lower leg injury sustained in the regular season finale, though this injury did not require surgery to repair.
Now, both players are expected to return at some point during the upcoming series against the Jets.
“I believe you’re going to see them both play in the second round, but I don’t know if it’s going to be Game 1 or Game 3 or Game 5,” said Stars coach Pete Deboer, per NHL.com.
“I consider them both day-to-day now, but there’s still some hurdles. It depends on when we start the series, how much time we have between now and Game 1. We’ll have a little better idea as we get closer.”
Following Game 1, Dallas will remain in Winnipeg for Game 2, which is scheduled for Friday at 8:30 p.m.