1. Can the Dallas Stars continue their hot start?
It seems that having their 2020-21 NHL season delayed due to a COVID-19 outbreak has had little negative impact on the Dallas Stars. Rather, they have absolutely thrived and flourished since finally being allowed to return to the ice, going 3-0-0 and making some serious noise in the Central Division.
And, going up against the Detroit Red Wings tonight, the Stars will have the opportunity to start a season 4-0-0 for the first time since 2010-11. It is an impressive feat but even more so when you consider the adversity that this Dallas team has had to overcome already, while they are without elite goaltender Ben Bishop and their most potent weapon in center Tyler Seguin, who are both expected to miss a large chunk of the season, not to mention the fact that Captain Jamie Benn is also now out.
However, we’ve seen before that the Dallas Stars are made of tough stuff and they are also deep as was showcased last year when they made a stunning run to the 2019-20 Stanley Cup Final, losing to the eventual champions the Tampa Bay Lightning.
But, with Anton Khudobin carrying on from where he left off inside The Bubble with one shutout, a 0.99 Goals Against Average and a .958 Save Percentage, John Klingberg getting off to a hot start with six points (1 G. 5 A) in three games and Joe Pavelski leading the way for Dallas’ offense with eight points (3 G, 5 A) in three games, the Stars are rolling right now and they should only get better too once they blow off more of the rust built up during their hiatus.
Going up against the Red Wings tonight, who they beat on Tuesday in Overtime, the Dallas Stars have a great chance of maintaining their perfect start to the 2020-21 NHL season and going 4-0-0 would send a clear message to the Tampa Bay Lightning that the Central Division won’t be so easy to win this year.
Honorable Mention: It could be a big night for Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen, who will be hoping to extend his goal streak which currently stands at six games. It is the longest active streak in the NHL and Rantanen has eight points (6 G, 2 A) on the year for the Avs who are third in the West Division with a 4-3-0 record.