Three changes that I am hoping to see in Game 3 of this series.
1) Jason in for Justin
… I think Dallas should scratch Justin Dowling in Game 3 and bring Jason Spezza into the lineup. Spezza is essentially a faceoff and power play specialist at this point in his career, which aligns with the two biggest weaknesses for Dallas so far in this series. With Games 3 and 4 in Dallas, the coaching staff will have last change and can have a little more control of when Spezza is on the ice.
2) Give Janmark the Night Off
… Yes, Mattias Janmark is obviously tough and made a surprising return in Game 2 after injuring his left foot/leg in the second period. He could not put weight on the foot though and I would be surprised if the injury is not at least semi-serious. Give Janmark the night off and put another forward into the lineup. I think Brett Ritchie would be a good fit for this series as he can bring physical play and help even out the Austin Watson types that fill the Nashville roster.
3) Unleash the Big Rig
… Taylor Fedun has been a great story for Dallas this season but the Predators are not a good match-up for him. Fedun struggled mightily in Game 2 and is not much of a factor on special teams, which dominated Saturday’s game. Jamie Oleksiak is a solid penalty killer and would balance out the left shots with the right shots on the blueline. Dallas should scratch Fedun in favor of Oleksiak in Game 3.
Brian Roe is the founder and head writer of The Roe Report. He spent five years working for the Dallas Stars and has been a contributor at Hockey’s Future, The Hockey Writers, NHL Intel, and more. Follow Brian on Twitter @brianproe.
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