The Dallas Stars have one more mission before they can return to Dallas and enjoy the Christmas holiday. They will be taking on the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena later tonight. It’s going to be a tough matchup with the Red Wings having a 7-2-1 record in their last ten games. That’s pretty impressive for a team I didn’t expect to be much of a threat this season, but here we are. Casey DeSmith will have his hands full tonight in Detroit.

The Dallas Stars need their Olympic hopefuls to show up tonight. Jason Robertson, Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, and Mikko Rantanen are just some of the players who need to help Dallas achieve a five-game win streak. This game won’t come easily since they are going up against a top-five team in the league. Do the Stars have enough energy in the tank to take down the Red Wings? Here are the four keys to tonight’s contest against the Red Wings.

Dallas Stars vs. Detroit Red Wings Preview: 4. Ambush them in the first period

The Dallas Stars need to ambush the Red Wings in the first period of the game if they want to come away with a win. The Stars can’t afford to show up in the third period like they did the other night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. That’s not a winning recipe for success in the NHL, espically the playoffs. Dallas needs that quick start they had against Anaheim, that start will win tonight’s hockey game at Little Ceasars Arena.

Dallas Stars vs. Detroit Red Wings Preview: 3. Unleash the Moose

I’m sure it would be a sight to see a moose running through the streets of Detroit tonight, with Christmas right around the corner. I hope the Red Wings are preparing for Mikko Rantanen to unleash his moose destruction on the city of Detroit tonight. He could be one of the key players who could win this game for Dallas. The Stars need to feed him the puck constantly tonight if they want to beat John Gibson tonight. If Mikko unleashes his power, the Red Wings could be overwhelmed and lose tonight.

Dallas Stars vs. Detroit Red Wings Preview: 2. Shut down Alex DeBrincat

If the Stars want to be victorious in Detroit tonight, shutting down Alex DeBrincat has got to be their main priority. He is the leading goalscorer for the Red Wings with 20 goals and 20 assists at this point in the season. I would not be surprised to see Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell get a lot of playing time to slow him down and the Red Wings’ offense tonight. If DeBrincat remains uncovered tonight, the Stars might be feeling a little down heading into the holiday break.

Dallas Stars vs. Detroit Red Wings Preview: 1. Unleash the robot

I hope the Red Wings fear technology, because the Dallas Stars are bringing their robot to terrorize them on the ice tonight. Jason Robertson has officially scored against every NHL team and wants to continue his goal streak against the Red Wings. I wouldn’t be shocked if Robertson found the back of the net once again because of how good a player he is. Just look at how he scored against the Maple Leafs the other night. If the Red Wings let Robertson score a goal tonight, they might as well be ready to take an L in their record column.