Stars 'willing to accept hard coaching' from DeBoer in Stanley Cup Playoffs

DALLAS -- How's this for sports psychology?

The Dallas Stars defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Second Round at American Airlines Center on Sunday, bouncing back from a 4-0 loss in Game 2 and taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.

Afterward, coach Pete DeBoer praised his players for how they take criticism.

"I talked to our group today," he said. "It's the best response team that I've coached in my time here."

He said one of the reasons the Stars haven't had extended losing streaks is because they fix problems quickly, and they fix problems quickly because there's an honesty to the group.

"They're willing to accept hard coaching," he said. "You don't have to sugarcoat it with them, which is nice. Sometimes you've got to, you know, be careful not to hurt feelings and things like that. I don't have to worry about that with our group, and it starts with our leadership guys.

"If (captain) Jamie Benn is the first guy in line to accept criticism, then everyone else kind of falls in line. It's constructive criticism, but they're willing to go there without pushback, and I think that's always a part of fixing what's wrong."

The Stars never lost more than two straight games in the regular season until the end, when they rested players to prepare for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and finished 0-5-2.

They bounced back from a loss three times in the first round against the Colorado Avalanche. They lost 5-1 in Game 1 and won 4-3 in overtime in Game 2; lost 4-0 in Game 4 and won 6-2 in Game 5; and lost 7-4 in Game 6 and won 4-2 in Game 7.

Now they've bounced back again in the second round against the Jets. Game 4 is here Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).

In the playoffs, the stakes are high, and coaches are adjusting to the same opponent within a series. There is little chance to practice, especially in the West due to the travel. That makes meetings, film sessions and talks between periods even more important.

"As a coach, you have to get a feel for your group," DeBoer said. "How hard can that constructive criticism be, and how honest and forthright can you be with the group? And obviously the more honest and forthright you can be with your group, the quicker you can get it fixed and you're not wasting time soft-pedaling around it."

The Stars spent Saturday flying from Winnipeg to Dallas, and they didn't hold a morning skate Sunday due to a 3:30 p.m. CT face-off. DeBoer was direct with the players.

"Yeah, before the game, we had a video session," center Wyatt Johnston said. "There were a bunch of different people in the clips, and obviously he's going through the clips, and he's saying, 'This is what you need to be doing.'"

Johnston said DeBoer never tries to make an example of someone, but if you're in a clip, there's a reason why.

"There's no use sugarcoating it," Johnston said. "If we lose 4-0, we don't need him to come in and be like, 'You guys are all right.' We're big boys. We can handle it. I think that comes from the leadership. He's not afraid to show a clip of Jamie or [forward Tyler Seguin] or any of our older veteran guys. It's the team that matters. I think he does a really good job of that."

DeBoer has credibility. He ranks fourth among active NHL coaches in games (1,261) and wins (662) in the regular season, and he's second among active NHL coaches in games (171) and wins (94) in the playoffs. Twice, with the New Jersey Devils in 2012 and the San Jose Sharks in 2016, he has reached the Stanley Cup Final. In each of his previous five playoff appearances -- with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2020 and 2021, and the Stars the past two years -- he has gone to the third round.

It helps that DeBoer has made two deep playoff runs with many of the players in this room.

"Obviously, he deserves respect from his previous years, but you just build that relationship," forward Jason Robertson said. "We've had the same core of players these past couple years. Regardless of who's coming in, everyone's held to the same accountability and the same standard to learn, to adjust and to take some criticism, and it's all towards the same goal."