An incredibly casual fan's guide to the Dallas Stars season

The Dallas Stars play their first game of the regular season tonight, taking on the Nashville Predators.

• Haven't had time to catch up on the team but still want to be able to have a discussion with your season-ticket owning boss without embarrassing yourself? We've got you covered with the basics.

Last season: After a late-season collapse by Las Vegas, the Stars squeaked into the playoffs, then took the vaunted Calgary Flames to seven games in the first round — mostly because of the incredible play of goalie Jake Oettinger.

🦦The big picture: Dallas will look to capitalize on last season's momentum. The team lost one of the NHL's best defenders in John Klingberg, but there are a few new faces, including new head coach Peter DeBoer.

• The Stars have played outstanding defense in recent seasons but have struggled to score. (Sound familiar, Cowboys fans?)

Storylines to watch: Can Oettinger play well over a full season? If he tends goal as masterfully as he did in the playoffs, Dallas will be a force in 2022-23.

• Can Jason Robertson keep scoring? He led the team in goals last year and just signed a big contract.

• Can Joe Pavelski continue to defy time? The 38-year-old was great last season, but he won't be able to play at that level forever.
• Will they wear those ugly neon uniforms again? They're awful.

Expectations for 2022: Oddsmakers have the Stars in the bottom half of the league, starting the season with a roughly 45-to-1 chance of winning the Stanley Cup.