Heika's Take: Stars respond in impressive fashion against Avalanche

To keep things in perspective, it's just one win.
But what a win for the Stars on Tuesday night.

Dallas received 46 saves from Jake Oettinger and four points from Joe Pavelski to take a 4-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Center in Denver. The victory stopped a 19-game unbeaten streak for the hottest team in hockey and sent a bit of a message.
If Dallas can make the playoffs, the odds are it'd be as the second wild card team. And if the Avalanche continue to play this well, it'll have the best record in the West, which means a really good chance at a first-round matchup.
When you consider that Dallas is the only team to beat Colorado twice in regulation this season, and that Oettinger has allowed two goals on 100 shots against the Avalanche, well, that's a pretty good sign for a potential showdown.
"Somebody had to come in here and break the streak, and we were the team to do it," Stars coach Rick Bowness said. "Give the guys a lot of credit. That's the fastest team we've seen, and we found a way to get the job done."

Much of the credit was given to Oettinger, and for good reason. He helped stop Colorado's opening salvo (the first 10 shots on goal) and was dynamic throughout the entire contest. Because of Oettinger's solid saves and calm demeanor, the Stars were able to score first in the first period and jump out to a 2-0 lead.
"I think it was the best performance I've ever seen from him," said forward Jason Robertson, who played with Oettinger in the AHL. "It's great to see all his hard work pay off. He really was the key in getting us this win."

Oettinger is 23, he played last season as a rookie, but then started the year in the AHL and had to fight back to earn a spot in the NHL. That's one of the reasons he's been working hard to prove himself and earn the trust of the coaching staff this season. Tuesday was huge in that department, as Oettinger is now 14-5-0 with a 2.49 goals-against average and .916 save percentage.
"It helps a lot," Oettinger said when asked if a game like this helps his confidence. "I just want to show I can play with anyone. I want to feel that personally and I want people around me to feel that I can play with the best. Obviously, tonight is just a small step in the right direction."
Oettinger's been managed the past two seasons, as he's 19-4-5 at home and 5-9-2 on the road. But Bowness said recently they're going to stop worrying about protecting Oettinger and will give him more tough assignments. This was among the toughest.

"It's fun to have big challenges and big opportunities," said Joe Pavelski, who tallied two goals and two assists. "You want the opportunity to play. That's the type of kid he is."
Pavelski helped the Stars learn from a 4-0 loss to this same Avalanche team Sunday in Dallas. The Stars were 0-for-3 on the power play in that game and generated just three shots on goal with the man advantage. The coaching staff dissected the film, and assistant coach Derek Laxdal came up with a good plan, Bowness said. Then, the players executed.
Robertson made a nice pass to a wide open Pavelski for the first power-play goal, and then Pavelski charged the net for his second. In between, Pavelski made a great pass to Robertson, as he converted his 21st goal of the season.
"They force you to move the puck quick, so we had to try to spread them out a little bit," Pavelski said. "We executed much better than we did the other night."

And that was the theme all over the ice. Yes, the Avalanche had 47 shots on goal and 88 shot attempts, but Oettinger said he had plenty of help from his teammates. Asked about a save where Roope Hintz defended a gaping net from the side, Oettinger said "we had three plays like that where they had an open net and somebody stepped up and made a play, so the guys did just so many good things in front of me."
Dallas finished with 29 blocked shots, and that also was a sign that everyone was trying to help out.
"That shows the commitment from the players," Bowness said. "They're going to get their looks, but give our players full marks, they paid the price to win that game."
And the game will be memorable, as the Stars try to fix their road issues (they've now won five in a row away from home) and try to chase down a playoff spot (they now are 26-19-2 and one point behind Anaheim with two games in hand). There's a lot of hockey left in the season but getting a win like Tuesday's can be impactful long term.
"They're a heck of a team," Pavelski said. "You need a big team effort to try to keep them to the outside, and at the end you need a great performance out of your goalie. They pressed and Jake was great."
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.