Stars' focus on special teams before season paying off in historic way

DALLAS --Having the hottest power play in the league can do so many things for you.
1. It gives you the goal-scoring to start your season 2-0-0. 2. It builds confidence in key players who didn't get the luxury of an exhibition game in this unique season. 3. It creates an environment where both players and coaches believe that practice and planning matter.

That last one doesn't sound like the most sexy reason, but it might be the one that helps the Stars the most this year. Heading into training camp, Stars coach Rick Bowness said he wanted to spend a lot of time on special teams. He talked about the need for repetition and focus that would allow the players to jump right in with conviction and trust.
And the best-laid plans actually worked. The Stars' power play clearly looks well-coached and cohesive, and it clearly is driving this team to a fast start in a strange season.

Dallas tallied three power-play goals on four chances Sunday en route to a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators. Joe Pavelski was once again key, as he had a goal and two assists and now has seven points in two games. Roope Hintz had a goal and two assists and now has five points in two games.
"They are snapping it around," Bowness said. "Right now, they are feeling it. They are making great plays -- clearly -- and the puck is going in, which is certainly beneficial. Right now, you can just feel the confidence that they have. They are moving for each other."
After a slow start against the Predators in Game 1, the power play injected life into the Stars when a 5-on-3 power play helped forge two goals in the second period. In Game 2, Dallas was playing a better team game, holding the Predators to just seven shots on goal in the first two periods. But the power play once again came through when it was most needed, and that allowed the hosts to play with composure and calm.
"What we're doing so well is, yeah we move the puck, but we think that we can attack in different ways: Shooting from the points, having seam plays, coming down low," defenseman John Klingberg said. "It's a lot of different options there, and I feel like the breakouts and the entries, we have a lot of options there, too."

The first goal Sunday was a clinic. Hintz and Denis Gurianov worked several quick passes to create a scoring chance that Nashville goalie Juuse Saros stopped. Then, after the ensuing faceoff, the five-man unit quickly worked the puck around again and Pavelski found Gurianov alone in the slot for the all-important first goal of the game.
That came at 14:35 of the first period, and then Pavelski fed Hintz for the second goal at 6:32 of the second period, and it appeared the Stars were on their way for another easy win.
However, this one proved a little more challenging. Nashville broke through with a deflected goal from Filip Forsberg to make it a one-goal game heading into the third. Then, after Pavelski tallied at 4:51 of the third period to restore a two-goal lead, Nashville's Mikael Granlund made it 3-2 with 10 minutes left in the game.

It was a good thing for the Stars, who had to bear down and hold on, especially after the Predators pulled their goalie late in the game. Anton Khudobin had another big night. And while he finished with just 15 saves, many were huge.
"Give our guys credit for holding on and weathering the storm," Bowness said. "We did a good job, but there's a lot of good teaching points from that third period. There's going to be a lot of desperate hockey coming up and there's going to be a lot of one-goal, tight games. You've got to learn to play through it."
And teaching is important in this business. In a year where practice time is limited, players and coaches are going to have to rely on video work, meeting room talks and, yes, experience. Just as it was huge for the Stars to hold their lead during a bit of late-game chaos, it was also important to know why a power play is working.

"I think the power play was definitely something we focused on probably going all the way back to the bubble. When we came back, it was something we worked on every day," Pavelski said of preparation for the playoffs. "Coming back into this camp, it was similar. We kind of touched on it to try to get it as clean and have as good of execution on it as fast as we could. With no (exhibition) games, it's great to see the puck move the way it has."
The fast start is an impressive accomplishment, because it has looked easy, despite Tyler Seguin (off-season hip surgery) and Jamie Benn (day-to-day with a lower-body injury) being out. The first unit has seen Hintz and Gurianov move up this year, and now there is clear chemistry in that group. The youngsters have speed, they move the puck quickly, and they know how to finish.
"I think it's been a little bit of everything," Pavelski said. "We've gotten pucks back and we've kind of done it different ways as far as traffic, some tips and some good plays along the way. It's clicking. It's good to see when the puck is going in. You just got to stay with it. You can't get too cute on it. When you get your lanes, you got to attack. I think we've done a good job at that so far."

That's what happens sometimes when you follow the game plan. And it's that kind of success that makes you want to rinse and repeat.
"We went into the camp knowing early when the games did start, that specialty teams were going to be absolutely huge," Bowness said, crediting assistant coaches for having the players ready.
"We did put time in, both in video sessions and then on the ice. Because going into this shortened season, we knew if we wanted to get off to a good start, the specialty teams needed to be where we need them to be. And fortunately, so far, both of them have done a great job for us."

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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.