Kraken (31-37-6) vs. Stars (48-21-4) | 7:00 p.m.

One: Stop giving Dallas the extra man

We had this same warning when the Kraken played the Edmonton Oilers earlier this homestand. The Stars are tough enough to beat at even strength, let alone when you keep giving them the man advantage.

The Kraken did that five times the other night and it was the difference in the game, with the Stars scoring twice. Never mind just the damage done while the Kraken were shorthanded; they also negated one of their own power plays with a penalty and it helped swing momentum.

Not that the Stars are a top power play team, but 22.8% efficiency is still 13^th best and Dallas has plenty of guys that know what to do with the puck. They’ve become even more dangerous since Mikko Rantanen was added at the trade deadline. He drew an assist on the game’s go-ahead goal late in the first period to help give Dallas a 2-1 intermission lead despite being outshot 6-0 at one point early on.

Two: Shot volume was there, but quality needs to go up

Kraken coach Dan Bylsma has preached all season about his team needing to take more of a “shooter’s mentality” into games. So, it’s tough to get on them too much after they outshot the Stars 36-21 and appeared to control vast swaths of the game. The first goal, by Eeli Tolvanen, was a clear case of going to the net front and picking up a rebound in close.

Unfortunately, the Kraken didn’t get all that many such close-in chances. This isn’t unusual for Dallas, a team that typically gives up an abundance of shots without allowing the truly lethal ones. They have some big, burly defenders that can make life miserable for teams trying to get in close.

Dallas is only 15^th best in the league in minimizing shots allowed despite having the third fewest goals per game allowed. So, teams are getting their cracks at Stars goalies, but it’s usually from a distance. Jake Oettinger has now faced a whopping 112 shots in his last three outings over the past week, yet allowed only four goals – a save percentage of .964.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the ice, Dallas had nine first period cracks at Joey Daccord and seven of them were “Grade A” chances. Two went in.

So, the Kraken maybe need to sacrifice the shot volume just a tad in favor of creating a little better opportunity. Or, take a pounding and get to the net front more often to do something with the rebound on the initial shot from a distance that gets stopped.

Easier said than done.

Three: Know your foe

At this stage, the Stars look every bit the Stanley Cup contender they were touted as at the trade deadline after picking up Rantanen from Carolina. They’ve got the fourth best goals for and third best goals against in the league and only Winnipeg is also in the top five in both categories.

That’s an important hedge because the Stars and Jets could very well meet in the second round.

All that said, Dallas has won five straight and gone 6-0-2 in its last eight games. In a closely played contest against the Kraken, they still secured a 5-1 win.

Yeah, they’re making it look rather easy, which is why they’ve already clinched a playoff spot while the Kraken have now been officially eliminated.

It’s the sheer depth of their forward ranks that makes them truly scary. Two years ago, just ahead of meeting the Kraken in the playoffs, all the angst in Dallas was about the forwards being too top heavy with the first line of Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski.

But now, with Pavelski retired, you’ve got Robertson, Hintz and Rantanen on the top trio, while Matt Duchene – one of the top performers the past two seasons since Dallas picked him up following a buyout by Nashville – was on the second line Saturday night alongside improving Mason Marchment and trade deadline newcomer Mikael Granlund.

Wyatt Johnston, one of the game’s most dynamic young players with 29 goals and 66 points is now often on the third line after the recent trades. The Stars have four guys with a shot at 30-goal seasons between Robertson (33), Johnston (29), Duchene (28) and Hintz (27).

That’s some impressive depth right there to go with defense and goaltending that was already playoff worthy. And it’s why these guys are legitimate Cup contenders.