Stars learn little details can cause wild swings in both directions

Consider each detail of the game like a pebble on a pond for the Stars right now.
One good play can lead to another, which can lead to another, which can lead to another.
And vice versa.
The Stars lost a 3-1 game to the Minnesota Wild on Friday, and the game swung on just a couple of plays. That's sorta how the league works these days. You make enough small plays, and they add up to big ones. You fumble a few, and things can go bad pretty quickly.

The Stars' goal -- only their second in three games -- was a great example. Coach Jim Montgomery decided to change lines when the Stars earned a faceoff in the offensive end just 29 seconds into the third period. Montgomery pulled to top line and put Jason Spezza's line on the ice.
Spezza then promptly was thrown out for a faceoff violation, and Devin Shore had to jump in and take the draw.

Shore was relentless in staying with a puck that lingered at his feet, and he eventually swept it out to Miro Heiskanen at the left point. Heiskanen quickly put a shot on net, and Spezza, who rolled to the goal off the faceoff, tipped it in.
It was the kind of series of fortunate events that Montgomery has been preaching. Build one good thing upon another, and the results will be there. Work hard, and one shift can change the game.
"It was a bit of a broken play and, you know, I think we preach faceoff intensity in our room and it's like a loose puck battle, right?" Shore said. "We worked on that a lot in practice and got rewarded for it, so that was good to see."
The ripples that came out of that pebble should have been positive, but the Stars found a way to stop the momentum. Instead of continuing a style of play that produced a 26-13 advantage in shots on goal from the start of the second period, the Stars played overcautious, and were outshot 15-2 for the remainder of the game.
"I really liked the way we played until the goal," Montgomery said of a run in which Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk had to stop marvelous chances from Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Shore and John Klingberg -- a run in which the Stars looked dominant for long stretches.
"After the goal, we stopped playing," Montgomery said. "We started managing the game. Our puck pressure disappeared, and our game management disappeared."

Minnesota started to gain energy, and Matt Dumba made a play not unlike the Shore play. The Wild defenseman activated from his point and went deep into the right corner, he then circled around and headed to the net. Blake Comeau had coverage, but fell down, and Dumba was wide open in front of the net for the tying goal with 10:23 remaining in the third period.
The ripples started circling out for the Wild, and they rode the wave. Minnesota forced Dallas into mistakes, and the Wild grew stronger and stronger.
"Hockey's a funny game," Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau said. "When they scored their goal, it looked like we put it into another gear to me. And we didn't give them anything after that. The second period, if it wasn't for [Dubnyk], they could've had five.
"I guess that's hockey."
It is indeed, and the new-look Stars are still learning.
Minnesota built on their goal and Ryan Suter ended up intentionally banking in the game-winner off of Stars defenseman Esa Lindell with 7:06 remaining. It was a disappointing lesson in just how much the game can change on one play.

The Wild exit with a 3-2-2 record and a leg up in the standings as they head back to Minnesota to play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. The Stars, meanwhile, fall to 3-4-0 and get to sit on the loss until Tuesday when the Kings come to town.
As they try to build, they have to do so in a tough environment. Maybe that's for the best, maybe that will make them better in the long run, but for now it just seems like the ripples can become negative waves that are overwhelming.
"When you win, you obviously gain more confidence from it," Spezza said. "So, we can say we are going to learn from the losses -- which we are -- but you feel a lot better about yourself when you are winning games, that's for sure."
Instead, the Stars will have to dig in and try to build one block on top of another until the details provide a foundation that can't be shaken by ghosts of the past.
"It's a cliché, but it is a 60-minute league," Shore said. "It's the best league in the world, and you've got to be sure you're bringing your best stuff every shift."
Because "vice versa" is lurking out their every minute of the game if you don't.
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,and listen to his podcast.