Stars keeping perspective, fixing mistakes amid busy schedule

A few years back, the Stars would have had a punishment skate on Saturday.

After blowing a two-goal lead and losing to the Calgary Flames at home on Friday, coaches would have felt the need to send a message by putting the lads through various conditioning drills that would let them know that performances like that are unacceptable.

“Going on the ice today with the entire team and having an absolutely [excruciating] practice would make me feel a lot better. I’d sleep better tonight for sure,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “But is that the right thing to do going into eight games in 14 nights? It probably isn’t. That’s perspective. I think that’s experience. I think you have to live those moments and make those mistakes.”

DeBoer has coached 1,116 NHL games, and he has seen a lot of changes in his 17 seasons as a bench boss at the highest level, so he has a pretty good idea of what his team needs. This version of the Stars is also an interesting one. They have been up and down through the first 19 games, and they have a strong veteran presence to guide them. Dallas went to the Western Conference Final last season and has a lot of expectations this year, so trusting the players is important.

“It’s a long year, we’ve got a lot of games coming up, but it’s also important to recognize the situation,” said captain Jamie Benn, who chose to skate on Saturday. “Even if we didn’t practice, we learned in our video session and we know what we need to do to get better. Hopefully, we get some rest, and have a good practice on Monday and then head out on the road.”

The Stars have had some twists and turns already this season. They blew a three-goal lead last week in a home loss to Colorado and then overcame a two-goal deficit with six unanswered goals in a 6-3 win over the Rangers. It’s been that kind of first quarter to the campaign that currently sits at 12-5-2.

The Stars said from training camp that they had to be prepared to be the hunted this season, and they have seen some strong performances from the opposition because of it. While the results have been mixed, DeBoer said he’s pleased with where his team sits.

“I like large parts of what we’re doing,” DeBoer said. “I think our game has trended in the right direction, even though we’ve had some really ugly moments at different times. I like the commitment of our group, I like our team, I think we’re heading the right way. Being the hunted and handling that pressure, I don’t think we’ve shrunk from that or in those moments. I think our guys want that pressure and have handled it, overall, pretty well.”

The Stars in the offseason lost Max Domi, Luke Glendening and Joel Kiviranta in free agency. They added Matt Duchene, Craig Smith and Sam Steel. That changes the dynamic of the dressing room. Then again, Dallas added Domi, Evgenii Dadonov and Thomas Harley late last season, so the dynamic of that team changed midstream. It's a typical transformation in the NHL, and the group has to organically grow when there are challenges like Friday’s game.

“Every season and every team is different,” Benn said. “New guys come in, everybody plays a different role, your role can change from year to year, and you have to come together as a team. The goal is to keep improving and learn from the mistakes, and we’re trying to do that.”

DeBoer said the first part of the season has been a learning experience, and the loss to the Flames is just part of that. Dallas gets a chance to avenge that performance on Thursday at Calgary and, as fate would have it, gets a battle for first place in the Central Division on Tuesday at Winnipeg. That’s the beauty of the schedule – there is always a chance to redeem yourself.

“The important part is taking ownership, looking at why, and getting it fixed,” DeBoer said.

And the players know that. Benn said the meetings on Saturday morning were every bit as important as a hard practice. He said the players understand that improvements need to be made.

“The best thing about hockey is every day is a new day,” Benn said. “As long as you’re learning and trying to get better, both individually and as a team, then you’re doing the right thing.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.