Speaking of the road, for the most part, the Stars have struggled to withstand the surges of strong opponents away from home -- hence their 3-5-0 record.
Their three road wins have all been one-goal affairs and their last two road wins, in Calgary and Vancouver, were grinding 2-1 affairs.
Coming off their best overall performance against an Islander team that had been dangerous offensively, Hitchcock would like to see that kind of 60-minute effort replicated away from the American Airlines Center. History tells us that this is easier said than done.
"We've played some of our best hockey on the road but we haven't been able to handle the surges," he said. "We've talked about it; how to handle it, and I think we're going to be more mature and better positioned to handle it, and I think we're going to be in good shape.
"I think the big thing for us is just to continue to try and initiate as much as possible. I think when you are reacting, that's when you have trouble with the surges. We've got wrapped up in some of the track meets that's gone on and we paid the price because of it."
It's not just the points, but the confidence that comes from winning on the road that will be crucial to this team moving forward.
"We're going to get better as a team if we find a way to win those games, and maybe, earn some confidence as well in our team game, as well," Klingberg said. "It's a huge road trip for us, for sure."