First playoff goal a 'huge relief' for hard-working Dickinson

Jason Dickinson is a hockey player, so he likes to score goals.
Even empty-net goals.
So, yes, when Dickinson put the final touches on a 4-1 win Saturday in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final with a shot from center ice into an open cage, it was a big deal.

It was his first in the playoffs, and first since Feb. 25 in the regular season -- a stretch of 29 games and 207 days.
"Getting the goal is a huge relief, it weighs on your mind," Dickinson said.
That said, scoring is not the primary objective of the 25-year-old forward. He does his best work on the penalty kill and in shutting down the opposition's best scorers - and the spotlight has been placed on that part of his job in recent games. When Radek Faksa went out with a hand injury in Game 3 against Vegas, Dickinson had to step up and take his place.

Dickinson was moved into the center spot on the checking line, and now is tasked with shutting down Tampa Bay's best players - who just happen to be among the playoff's leading scorers. Dickinson is centering a line with Blake Comeau and Andrew Cogliano. He has seen his time on ice jump almost three minutes a game since getting that promotion, and has also seen his focus get a little sharper.
"He definitely has stepped up his game when we needed him to," said Stars captain Jamie Benn. "I think he's such a versatile player who can really play with anyone on this team. But that's a big role stepping onto the checking line on our team. Those guys go against other team's top lines, but he's stepped in and hasn't missed a beat."
Dickinson gives a lot of credit to Cogliano and Comeau. The two veterans have flanked Faksa for the better part of two seasons, and offer coach Rick Bowness a line that often starts the game and often sets the pace.
"They've been fantastic for us," Bowness said. "When Faksy was there, they've done a great job not only during the playoffs but all season long. And Dicky stepped in and he's taken Faksy's minutes, and he's done a great job for us. That line with Blake and Cogs, they've been doing that all year."
The trio often faced Nathan MacKinnon's line in the Colorado series and now has to see a ton of Tampa Bay's top line - Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat in the Stanley Cup Final. In Game 1, those top players were held off the scoreboard and pretty much stopped at even strength.
"Obviously, they're one of the best lines in hockey," Bowness said. "They're tough to contain, you just try to take away their space and their speed as best you can. But to limit them to no chances is really tough to do, and they're going to get their looks. We just try to take away their second and third opportunities and just try to play them hard, make sure we're on top of pucks, on the right side of pucks, and when we can, try to create some offense and make them play in their own end.

"They're an elite line, and we're just going to play them hard and straight up."
Dickinson said he actually embraces the challenge. Sure, it's going to be tough, but if he does his job, he can help the Stars win the Stanley Cup.
"I've always played defensive, so being in this role doesn't change much for me," he said of moving from a wing on the fourth line to center on the third. "Maybe the opportunity is a little bit greater, but I still play my game and do what I have to do. I've got two great wingers that are going to support me."
Bowness said he actually thinks Dickinson is a better fit at center, and that the elevation in responsibility is a good thing. Dickinson is listed at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, so he's not much smaller than Faksa (6-3, 210). He's also pretty fast and pretty smart.
"Jason has done a great job coming in for Faksy," Bowness said. "We had him on wing for a while and he's a natural center, so I thought it was tough for him. He's a great skater and he's got hockey sense and he's got hockey skills, and he's a great team player. He said if I have to play wing, I'll play wing, but he is a natural centerman and he's much more effective at center."
Dickinson tallied nine goals during the regular season and had seasons of 22 and 18 goals in the AHL, so he also can chip in offensively. He said he understands just how a player can get frustrated when he's not scoring.

Dallas held Vegas to nine goals in five games in the Western Conference final. The Stars held the Lightning to one goal on 36 shots in Game 1, including shutting Tampa Bay out on 22 shots in the third period alone. Now, much of the credit for that goes to goalie Anton Khudobin, but Bowness said the entire team did a great job of forcing shots to the perimeter and cleaning up messes in front of Khudobin.
By doing that, Dickinson knows that the Stars can get into the minds of the opposing players.
"You can see it out there, guys get frustrated, they're slumping their shoulders, they're slamming their sticks, they're slamming doors," Dickinson said. "Is our goal to frustrate them? No. Our goal is to stop them from creating chances, and frustrating them is just an effect of that."
Dickinson knows that frustration, but he also knows the best solution is persistence. He has first-hand knowledge of that.
"It's a lot worse when you're losing, so I was happy to ride the wave and just kind of soak it in and let the guys score the goals when we needed to," he said of breaking out of his own slump.
Of course, he won't mind a few more for himself. He is a hockey player, after all.

Game 2: Stars vs. Lightning (Dallas leads 1-0)

Monday, 7 p.m. CT
Where:Rogers Place, Edmonton
TV:NBCSN
Radio:The Ticket 96.7-FM, 1310-AM
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.