'Schedule plays a big part' in Stars' sluggish first periods

Stars (16-14-12, 44 points) vs. Blue Jackets (15-21-9, 39 points)

DALLAS --The Stars score the fewest first-period goals in the NHL at 26. They also give up the fourth fewest at 28.
That's not surprising for a team that ranks fifth in goals against and 17th in scoring, but it does speak to an issue Dallas has been dealing with this year. The Stars would like faster starts, and they are pushing for that every game -- but there are reasons this has been an interesting campaign in terms of first-period stats.
In addition to having an already compacted schedule because of COVID, the Stars had eight games postponed and rescheduled early in the season. Now, they are playing four games in a span of six days a lot of weeks, and that means the team has less physical and mental energy.
"The schedule plays a big part," Stars coach Rick Bowness said. "When you play as many games as we've played and the opposition has played, it takes a while to get going some games. When you're rested and fresh, that's one thing. When you're playing as much as we are playing, to think we're going to come out of the gate flying is not realistic. It's certainly the game plan, but with the number of games, it's tough to come out of the gate full steam every night."
Stars forward Jason Dickinson said just the timing of the week is strange. In the past, you would usually come off a game, go to practice the next day, go to practice the day after, and then play again. He said that first off-day allowed you to clear you brain before you had to start preparing for the next game.
"Even just the mental reset of having two days between games is huge. When you're playing every other day, you're constantly in game mode, you're constantly thinking about `What did I do yesterday, and what am I going to do today,' It's constant," Dickinson said. "When you get a couple of days between games, it gives you time when you're not overthinking everything, you're not analyzing everything. It's definitely hard to mentally reset."

Bowness said athletes are creatures of habit and that they have built routines over their careers. This season, he said, is shaking every scheduling norm from practice, to diet, to sleep.
"You don't have that two-day break to organize yourself and deal with one before dealing with another, so the habits that we have created over the years as a player and a coach is just thrown out the window," Bowness said. "This is just a complete blur, it really is. It's totally consuming and it's just one right after another."
Now, that said, the players and coaches know they have to deal with it.
Dallas on Thursday got off to a slow start against Columbus, but the Stars managed the game, limited chances against, and eventually came back in the second and third periods. The fact they have allowed very few first-period goals is an indication that a "slow start" is a relative term.
"Our structure keeps us competitive when we don't have our full legs going yet, that's why we're able to stay in games," Bowness said. "We've had some great starts, we've had some mediocre starts, the end (goal) is always win the game. Just give yourself every opportunity to win the game, and we've done that most every game this season."
Dallas is third in the NHL in fewest shots on goal per game at 27.3, and the Stars have outshot opponents by 21 shots on goal in first periods this season. So they manage the game early and then almost double their first-period goal outputs in the second (43 goals on the season) and third (46 goals on the season) periods.
"To think you're going to come out fresh legs and flying every night, that's totally unrealistic," Bowness said. "To come out ready to play and give yourself a chance to win the game, which is the most important thing? That's what we want."

Benn's stick heating up

Stars captain Jamie Benn has seen his scoring numbers decrease in recent seasons.
Benn had a career-best 1.09 points per game in 2015-16 and was as high as 0.96 points per game in 2017-18. However, he dipped to 0.68 in 2018-19 and 0.57 last season.
He was on pace to be lower than that this season, but he has seven points (three goals, four assists) in his past nine games and is up to 0.61 points per game on the year. A recent move to center has helped Benn and also given some boost to his linemates Jason Dickinson and Denis Gurianov. That line led the Stars to a 4-1 win over Columbus Thursday, and while he had no points in the game, Benn was the catalyst according to Bowness.
"Every night, when you want to win consistently in our league, you need someone different to step up and make a difference in the game, and Jamie Benn and his line did," Bowness said. "Jamie has been playing fantastic and playing his heart out. So, it all starts, to me, with Jamie. He drives the bus here, and when he is playing as hard as he has been at center, then everyone else has to feed off of him."

Dickinson usually plays center, but he has been in and out with an injury, and so when he returned, he was placed on a wing with Benn. He said the fact that Benn also plays both wing and center helped in the transition.
"Playing with Jamie, he's pretty versatile. He makes it pretty simple, he's pretty straightforward," Dickinson said. "From my reads, as far as a lineup goes, I kind of understand where he's going. He makes it pretty easy for me to switch to a wing. He's great on faceoffs, so it helps to start with the puck more."
Benn won 13-of-15 faceoffs Thursday and helped the Stars record a team winning percentage of 66 percent in faceoffs. He said the line put the work in skating, and that's why it had a good game.
"Forechecking well and doing the right things without the puck," Benn said to the secret of success. "When you see guys all on the same page, they are all in the right spots at the right times. I thought we were doing that tonight."

Oettinger in net; Sekera slated to return

Jake Oettinger will be in net after beating the Blue Jackets 4-1 on Thursday.
Oettinger is 7-5-6 with a 2.22 goals against average and .917 save percentage. He is 4-0-1 against the Blue Jackets with a 1.74 GAA and .926 save percentage.

Andrej Sekera is expected to return to play after missing two games with a lower body injury caused by blocking a shot on Sunday. Joel Hanley could come out of the lineup.
Bowness said Joel Kiviranta (lower body) is not close to returning.

By the numbers

8

This will be the eighth game against Columbus and will close the season series against the Blue Jackets. The restructured 2020-21 season put the Stars in the new Central Division, so Dallas is scheduled to play every team eight times. This is the first team against which the Stars will complete their eight games. Dallas is 4-2-1 in the first seven games, while Columbus is 3-3-1.

796

Andrej Sekera, who is expected to return to the lineup, has played 796 career regular season games. He also has 199 career assists, so he is on milestone watch.

Plus-16

In 42 career games against Columbus, Stars forward Joe Pavelski has 18 goals and 18 assists for 36 points and also is plus-16 in that span. That is the third best plus-minus for Pavelski against one opponent. His best is plus-20 in 59 games against Dallas.

He said it

"Yeah. I tried to back off on Roope. We all know what he is going through and we all admire what he is doing to help the team win and play when he can. When we have a lead and I can let him sit for a while, I am going to do that." -- Bowness on the fact he tried to rest Roope Hintz in the third period of a 4-1 win Thursday against Columbus. Hintz has a nagging lower body injury and is listed as a game-time decision for every game.
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, and listen to his podcast.