Lessons learned last week in Arizona apply Sunday vs. Buffalo

Stars (28-20-3, 59 points) vs. Sabres (16-29-8, 40 points)

The Stars lost in Arizona a week ago and said at the time they didn't have the intensity they needed against a Coyotes team that was out of the playoff picture.
That should be a pretty important lesson today when they face the Buffalo Sabres, who sit 29th in the league at 16-28-8. Stars coach Rick Bowness said that his team will be ready for a Buffalo team that's playing well.
"They're a different team than when we played them last month, they're a better team," Bowness said of a 5-4 win in Buffalo. "They came out in St. Louis hard and got an early goal. If you want to make the playoffs, you have to beat the teams below you consistently. At the same time, you better respect them because they're a better team now and they gave St. Louis all they could handle."
The Sabres have lost five in a row and are in the middle of a five-game road trip, so they're being challenged. Still Bowness said he expects a fast start and a strong performance from the opposition. Add to it a 1 p.m. start, and the Stars have to be ready.
"They came out flying, and that's the start we expect," Bowness said.
Goalie Jake Oettinger will get his sixth straight start. He's 6-2-1, with a 1.85 goals-against average, and .937 save percentage.
"Jake wants the ball. He wants to run with it," Bowness said. "You've got to love that about him. If you asked him to go to practice tomorrow for an hour, he'd be the first guy on the ice."
Braden Holtby has been bothered by some nagging injuries and has played just once in the past 10 games. Bowness said they're confident that when Holtby is needed, he'll be ready.
"Clearly, we're going to get him back in here at some point," Bowness said. "But Jake's playing really, really well right now. Braden is a pro, and he's a great character and a great teammate. You can see him at practice working his butt off and when his number is called, he'll be ready to go."

What to watch

The Stars picked up forward Marián Studenič on waivers last week but will not put him into action quite yet. The 23-year-old practiced on Saturday and still is trying to learn a new system.
"The scouts like his speed, and that's what we could see today," Bowness said. "He's an excellent skater. As I talked to him this morning, we're in a tough position to try somebody out that we haven't seen play. We'll have to give him some practices, give him some time on this and we'll go from there."
Studenic played two seasons in the OHL and three seasons in the AHL, so he's familiar with some of the Stars players. Still, it's going to be a process for him to be able to find his stride. He'll go into the mix with players like Joel Kiviranta. Forward Tanner Kero was assigned to the AHL when Studenic was acquired, so it's easy to see the young forward could play a similar role.
"The position we're in trying to get in the playoff hunt, it's not fair to him to throw him out there and say 'Go play and let's see what we've got,'" Bowness said. "If it's October, that's a whole other conversation. Where we are right now, he's going to have to be patient with us and give us some time to look at him and get him in some team drills."
Studenic said he's ready to take it step by step.
"It's going to be definitely a new chapter in my life," Studenic said. "I've [spent] four years in Jersey. This is new for me. It's going to be a new opportunity, fresh start. I'm excited about it."

Lineup update

Here is a possible lineup:
Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski
Benn-Seguin-Gurianov
Raffl-Faksa-Glendening
Kiviranta-Peterson-Radulov
Suter-Heiskanen
Lindell-Klingberg
Harley-Hakanpaa
Oettinger
Holtby

Numbers

46.3 percent

The Sabres rank last in faceoff winning percentage at 46.3 percent. Dallas ranks second at 54.6 percent.

63

Buffalo ranks 28th with 63 goals allowed in the second period. Dallas ranks 27th allowing 62 goals in the second period.

758

Buffalo ranks last in the NHL in hits at 758. Dallas ranks 21st at 1,116.

He said it

I'm going to keep trying to shoot as much as I can, but not just use it as an excuse to shoot the puck. Sometimes, you have to look for a better opportunity, but you don't want to pass up a shot either. It's a fine line there." -- Stars defenseman John Klingberg on how he needs to improve on his total of one goal this season.
Great seats are still available for today's game against Buffalo at 1 p.m. Get your tickets now!
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.