The Dallas questions are all about bodies that are close to ready. Jake Oettinger got scratched from a preseason start against Minnesota with lower-body tightness and missed a practice after it, but the team didn't expect it to last and he made the opening roster alongside Casey DeSmith. Matt Duchene also sat out the preseason finale. Reports called those maintenance days rather than an injury, which matters for a guy who played 57 games last season. Tyler Seguin spent camp rehabbing and is on the roster too.
Put it together and the matchup looks lopsided up front. Dallas brings 4 legitimate top-6 threats in Rantanen, Robertson, Johnston and Hintz, plus Seguin and Duchene if both are right, against a St. Louis defense that has to cover for 2 regulars from the start. Mailloux is also the Blues' most aggressive puck-mover on the back end, so they lose some of their breakout along with the depth. Their best chance is keeping it tight and cutting down on high-danger looks, which is hard to do with a patched-up third pair.
The one open variable is in the Dallas crease. If Oettinger starts, the Stars look like a deep home team starting at full strength. If the tightness lingers and DeSmith gets the opener, St. Louis has a real opening. Watch for the morning-skate goalie news on Friday. That's the piece of information that will move this game before it starts.