Game 4 is tonight in Dallas.
Dallas Stars
A modified lineup for Dallas on Monday night featured Jason Spezza in the lineup for Mattias Janmark. The defense pairs were slightly shuffled, too. Jamie Oleksiak appeared on Dallas’s third defensive pair with Ben Lovejoy.
The weapons for Dallas were effective on Monday. Alexander Radulov, Jamie Benn, and Tyler Seguin threatened from nearly every angle.
Dallas has not taken advantage of their ample power play opportunities in the last two games. If they win the special teams game, Dallas has a chance to tie the series up before heading to Nashville for Game 5.
Nashville Predators
I’m sure Pekka Rinne would appreciate his team controlling play outside their own zone tonight. Rinne was phenomenal on Monday, stealing the game for a team that struggled to get their act together.
The Predators need to pressure in Dallas’s zone and throw pucks to the net. It might sound cliche, but those pucks result in rebounds which result in scoring chances.
The fourth line was not terrible on Monday. Rocco Grimaldi, Calle Jarnkrok, and Miikka Salomaki provided speed and several chances on net, including Grimaldi’s second goal of the series. I wouldn’t expect any lineup changes for Nashville.
Keep Your Eye on This Guy
Mikael Granlund. We’re all sitting here waiting for the Finnish winger to get going. His goal was the go-ahead on Monday evening, and perhaps some additional confidence will help Granlund and his linemates Kyle Turris and Craig Smith find the back of the net a few more times tonight.
Tonight’s Theme Song
“Lithium” by Nirvana.
Tonight’s Drink of Choice
Literally anything that will help me remain calm during the game. I was a disaster on Monday.
[Ed.: I have a nice chamomile-lavender tea blend I enjoy at times like these.]
How to Watch
Tonight’s game is at a bit more reasonable of a time for those of us in the Eastern and Central time zones. Puck drop will be at 7:00 Central. Catch the game on Fox Sports-TN or USA. 102.5 The Game will have the radio call.