Both the Preds and Stars will look to break out off their offensive funk when they meet each other for the first time in the playoffs. Here is a look at how both teams stack up heading into their first round matchup.
We know Dallas needs defence and goaltending to be its calling card, and for the big three stars to create most of the offence, but there’s a reason GM Jim Nill targeted Zuccarello on the trade market.
With a clear need for secondary scoring, and the Benn-Seguin-Radulov line long split up, Zuccarello was a great playmaker to complement someone like Benn. He recorded a goal and an assist in his first game with the team before breaking his arm, and then added another assist when he returned for one more regular season game in April.
The 31-year-old Norwegian’s raw regular season totals are a career-low, but he attributed his slow start to the pressures of dealing with trade rumours. He really started to settle in and turn a corner in mid-January, though, finishing with 25 points in his last 18 games. Over that same time, Zuccarello leads the NHL in primary assists per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 action. He needs to continue that in these playoffs.As the saying goes, a team can only go as far as their goaltending will let them.
To be clear, the crease still very much belongs to Pekka Rinne. The veteran netminder has put together another strong season in 2018-19: his 2.43 goals-against average and .917 save percentage is on par with seasons past, and the club has made it clear he’s the go-to guy for the playoffs and should have the team feeling confident about their crease. The difference between this year and last is the confidence the club has in the man behind Rinne, too.
Fellow Finn Juuse Saros made some big strides this season, getting his biggest workload yet: In 31 appearances and 27 starts, the 23-year-old has a 17-10-2 record with a 2.62 goals-against average and .915 and three shutouts. His late-season efforts have allowed Rinne to rest and shown his appetite for a bigger workload. Will he start any playoff games? For now, that’s unlikely.
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