Rick Bowness says leadership group will need to take charge going forward

The All-Star Break gives fans and media a chance to look at the big picture of the Stars' second half of the season.
But coaches and players believe that keeping sight of the next challenge is the best way to look ahead. So as the Stars get ready for the final 39 games and a push to get into the playoffs, the only real thought is Wednesday's game against Nashville.

"All we can do is focus on what we can control and that's trying to win hockey games one at a time," Stars captain Jamie Benn said after practice Tuesday.

The Stars (23-18-2) are in an interesting spot. They currently sit 10th in the Western Conference in points percentage at .558. That's below where they hoped they would be and out of a playoff spot at the moment.
The top three teams in each division will go to the postseason, as well as two wildcard teams. If the teams who are outside of the top three from the same division, they both can be wildcard teams. That's probably the best hope for the Stars, as the top four teams in the Central are significantly ahead in points pace, while the majority of the Pacific Division is in a bunch with Dallas.
Right now, Colorado (.773), Minnesota (.720), Nashville (.652) and St. Louis (.648) are significantly ahead of the Stars. The Predators and Blues are on pace for about 105 points. For Dallas to get to that level, it would have to play .684 hockey for the remainder of the season, and while that's doable, it's a significant improvement from where the club sits right now.
Of course, the Stars believe they can do that.
"We haven't given up on one of those top three spots, and the only way to get up there is to win consistently and beat those teams in our division," Stars coach Rick Bowness said. "It starts [Wednesday] night. A team like Nashville that's ahead of us, it's huge that we get those points."

The Stars will play host to Nashville on Wednesday, starting a run of eight straight against Central Division opponents. A winning streak would definitely jump start the second half and create some positive buzz around a team that suffered a crushing 4-3 loss against Calgary to head into the break. When you mix in that loss (where the Stars surrendered a 3-1 lead in the final six minutes of the game) with similar losses to St. Louis and Vegas, Dallas could easily be depressed at the hole it has dug. But Bowness said they can only focus on what's ahead.
"We're disappointed with where we are, there's no question," Bowness said. "That doesn't mean that we can't turn it around in the second half. We're knocking on the door of a playoff spot, and it's up to us to push forward and win a few more games in the second half."
As much as the Central Division path looks daunting, there's a second wildcard, and the pace for that is much more reasonable. While Vegas leads the Pacific with a .620 points percentage and Calgary is close behind at .619, the next three teams are close to the Stars - Edmonton, (.583), Los Angeles (.555) and Anaheim (.550). If the Stars can finish the season ahead of two of those teams and outsiders like Winnipeg and San Jose don't pass Dallas, then the Stars can grab the final postseason invite in the West.
"That's what it's all about," Bowness said. "Stay in that top eight and get in the playoffs."
The Stars will push to get as high as they can to reduce the drama at the end of the season, but they can only do that by focusing on one game at a time. Yes, the schedule is condensed and difficult. Yes, there's the chance they have to battle injuries or illness, but so does everyone else.
While Jason Robertson missed practice Tuesday with an eye infection, he's expected to be ready to play Wednesday. In addition, Braden Holtby, Michael Raffl and Joel Kiviranta also should be available for selection. That gives the coaching staff a ton of options.
Bowness said he'll be leaning heavily on the leadership group and the veterans to help set the pace going forward. Asked how they can do that, "lead by example on the ice," Bowness said.
Veterans Benn, Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov and John Klingberg are behind their normal scoring paces, and while that's one measure of success, Bowness would simply like his best players play closer to their potential.
"Play your best at the most important time of the games," he said. "Wednesday] night is a good example, we need our leadership group to taking over. We talked this morning, you're the guys that are going to be driving the bus and when we get into these important four-point games, we expect them to be our best players, it's as simple as that."
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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*.