Robertson talks need for consistency, Stars expectations in Q&A with NHL.com

In NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Sitting Down with ..." we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. Today, we feature Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson.

Jason Robertson's production just keeps going up.

The Dallas Stars forward had an NHL career-high 109 points (46 goals, 63 assists) last season, second-most in Stars/Minnesota North Stars history behind Bobby Smith's 114 (43 goals, 71 assists) in 1981-82.

So what's the next goal for the 24-year-old?

"I'm not so much into numbers," Robertson said at the NHL Player Media Tour in Henderson, Nevada, earlier this month. "Numbers are great, but at the end of the day I want to be the leader on the team again. I want to be one of the guys on the team that the team can rely on.

"I think the biggest thing for me this year is consistency. I want to be consistent throughout my whole season, not just catch fire and then maybe go cold for a little bit and not be able to do what I want to do at the highest level all the time. The best players in the NHL are consistent every night. That's what I want to be, that's what I strive for."

Robertson sat down with NHL.com to talk about what he expects from himself this season, expectations for the Stars, the arrival of forward Matt Duchene and his ability to quote old-school movies.

You had struggled to score goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, then scored five against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final. Did you need that personally?

"I mean, at the end of the day (it's about) winning series, right? They needed me to step up and in the third round, unfortunately, they got the better of us. But I'm glad I could end the season on a higher note and not go into the end of the year thinking what I could've done differently. Unfortunately we lost, but that's a little bit of momentum going into next year."

Why does it work so well between you, Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski on that top line?

"The whole summer I watched probably 10, 20 games -- or we watched them -- getting ready for next year, and you can start to see in those games, just the way the puck moves, how we can all adjust to each other's pace. I mean, Roope's just flying up the middle, Joe's hitting me, I hit Roope, just a lot of chemistry.

"Going on my fourth year in the NHL, and I've played on their line for probably 2 1/2 years now. The COVID year (2019-20) was the exception, hit or miss on the COVID year. But you play that long, you know what guys are and nothing's going to surprise you. I hope we can improve in certain areas, but you definitely know what your strengths are, how to utilize them. We all know Roope's speed and Joe's puck skills are definitely the biggest assets."

It seems rare these days that a line stays together as yours has, doesn't it?

"I've never had it. It doesn't happen often, guys staying on a line for a year, forget 2 1/2 years, like a year consistently, so the fact that it's been 2 1/2 years is pretty incredible. There's been some games that guys have missed with injury, but when everyone's in the lineup it's normally all the same. I wouldn't say it's a luxury for Pete (DeBoer, Stars coach), to have that set thing, but if everything goes well, and it has been these past couple of years, we just look to continue that going into next year."

DeBoer came in last season bringing a more up-tempo system. Was that a big benefit to you?

"I mean, he just comes in and he knew what he wanted to do: play faster, play quicker, maybe a little more predictable offensively, which for guys like me who really read the game fast, can really just anticipate where the puck's going to be.

"It's definitely an advantage, knowing where defensemen are going to move the puck up in the neutral zone or what are they going to do when they go low to high or in the breakouts and everything. Just playing faster, obviously, helps guys like me to help move the puck, and I'm not saying move your feet faster. I'm just thinking move the puck around, get to spots quick and know where to be, so it really helps guys like me, like Joe, guys who really try to anticipate where the puck's going. It worked out well for us last year, and we look to get more acclimated this year."

The Stars signed Matt Duchene after the Nashville Predators bought out the final three seasons of the seven-year contract he signed July 1, 2019. What can he bring?

"I skated with him once last week, or a couple of days ago. He looked really good, lot of juice, lot of jam. We're excited to get that on our team, that extra element. He's a veteran, he's been around a while. I don't think he's gone very far in the playoffs that often and I'm sure that drives him, so that's obviously an advantage. He knows what team we are and he wants to be there and, honestly, he probably wants to prove people wrong for what happened, so coming to our team and adding other pieces, extremely special and important for us to utilize him."

You all were so close last season, losing to the Golden Knights in six games in the conference final. What's needed to take that final step?

"Winning overtimes are our biggest thing. Not just even in the postseason. I mean, we were 1-5 in the postseason, but even the regular season we had 14 overtime/shootout losses. We just have to taper that up, especially in the playoffs. The overtime games are pretty brutal when you have a silly mistake and now you're down a game in the series, two games in the series. It's hard to come back from that. I mean, hockey is what it is, but if we can taper up the overtimes, that would be great for us."

I remember you quoting the movie "Airplane!" in the Stars room when you were in Chicago for a game last season. Are you an old-school guy?

"When I was growing up, my dad was big into having us watch older movies. It was just a classic movie we always watched, and it was a big thing for my dad to really show us what he was comfortable with. He didn't know what was up to date, so he'd show us all those older films. I remember we watched 'Gilligan's Island' and stuff. That's what we used to do."