4. PLAYING WITH THE LEAD
The Blues took a 3-1 lead into the third period of Game 2 and then fell into a prevent defense, which allowed the Stars to come back and tie the score.
If the Blues are able to get the lead in Game 3, they will need to play with the jump that they need to extend that lead, rather than settling for just trying to keep the Stars off the scoreboard. That didn't work in Game 2.
"I think it's a natural tendency that players get into that they don't want to get caught," Hitchcock said. "They think in terms of protecting rather than attacking. It's every team. … I think it requires a real mindset collectively, not just one line doing it. Everyone's got to be focused. The first thing that happens is you get a little quiet on the bench, you get a little quiet on the ice, you stop talking. And when you stop talking in this style of game, the games are so fast and so physical now, you get slow. When you get slow, you stop skating and you start chipping pucks in. Every team goes through it."
The next time it happens, though, the Blues need to be able to recognize it and avoid it.
5. DEFENSIVE MINDED
With the uncertainty in net for the Stars, that puts the focus on their defense.
The Stars weren't a powerhouse defensive team in the regular season. They were 19th in the regular season at 2.78 goals-allowed per game. They've been slightly better in the playoffs at 2.75 goals-allowed per game.
So with a potentially rattled Lehtonen in net or, more likely, with Niemi in there, the pressure is on the Stars defense to shut down the Blues.