Sweet relief? Stars hope end of goal drought leads to scoring breakout

Stars (6-8-4, 16 points) vs. Blue Jackets (10-10-5, 25 points)

DALLAS --The Stars have four goals in the past four games. In that stretch, they went more than 180 minutes without a goal. So when Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson scored in the third period of a 3-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, there was a cloud lifted.
"You could just feel the relief on the bench," Stars coach Rick Bowness said of a spirited end to the game.
Now, Bowness and his team are hoping to carry that positive momentum over. Dallas is 1-7-3 in its past 11 games and is in dire need of a victory Saturday against Columbus. Scoring a few goals would help make winning a little easier.
So, can the Stars break out? The coaches and players believe the chances are there, and that now players simply have to capitalize.

"Before practice, we had our video session, and Bones must have showed, six, seven, eight high-danger scoring chances, and the majority of them we could have converted," said Robertson. "We're getting the looks, but at the end of the day you have to score. If we keep generating chances like that, they're going to start to go in."
Bowness said that while players get frustrated, he wanted to encourage them with the video session.
"At least we're talking about that we are that close and we just have to stay with it," he said. "We're not sitting here saying we're miles away. But the most important thing is we're not winning and we have to stay with it."

Robertson, who led the Texas Stars in scoring last season, said he has received positive motivation in recent games.
"It's always encouraging," he said of scoring a goal. "At the beginning of the year, they told me they wanted me to be a producer. So I tried to be myself, but I had a couple of games where I learned about the league and I sat out a bit and watched, and when I came back I started to understand where I could perform on the ice and start to produce."
Robertson said he hasn't felt panic during the slump because his teammates have remained calm.
"It's easy for me to stay focused when everyone else around me is preaching that and encouraging everyone to stay with the game plan," Robertson said. "As hard as it is for a rookie, we're just fortunate that we have veterans and coaches to help guides us the right way."

Klingberg, girlfriend expecting first child

Defensemen John Klingberg and his girlfriend are expecting their first child any time now, so teammates and coaches are trying to adapt to the possible news.
"We talk to him," Bowness said on being prepared. "I spoke to John this morning and at this time there is nothing imminent. But you have to have someone ready to jump in there. You have to explain to those players that if John is calling at 6:05 and he can't play, then you've got to be ready to go. And they have to prepare to play, because you never know."

Good friend Esa Lindell said he and Klingberg's teammates are definitely aware of the situation.
"We're really excited for them both and it's kind of a hectic couple of days for him and her," Lindell said. "But at the same time, we've got a game, and we need to focus on that."

Oettinger gets nod in net

Jake Oettinger will be in net for the Stars. He is 2-1-3 with a 2.31 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.
Ty Dellandrea might jump back into the lineup.
"Ty is a young player who needs some experience," Bowness said. "He's watched some games, and it's time to get Ty back in and let him play."

By the numbers

16

Columbus has scored first in 16 of 25 games. However, the Blue Jackets are just 8-6-4 when scoring first.

1-5

Columbus is 1-5 in games that have gone past regulation. The Blue Jackets are 0-3 in overtime and 1-2 in shootouts.

6

That's the points for Joe Pavelski in three games against Columbus this year. Pavelski has two goals and four assists and is plus-5 in the three games.

He said it

"It's not good. I will tell you that. We have to find a way to win some hockey games." -- Stars captain Jamie Benn on the team's 1-7-3 slump
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.