Stars proving to be 'confident group' no matter the score

Stars (29-18-4) at Rangers (25-21-4)

NEW YORK --The history of the NHL is that scoring first matters.
In the past, the best teams won nearly 90 percent of the games when they scored first. This season, the split on average is about 70 percent to 30 percent when counting victories for teams that score first.
So when the Stars have allowed the first goal against in six straight and 10 of the past 12, there has to be some concern. There is -- but the fact Dallas is 8-4-0 in those 12 games kind of tells a tale of this season.
The Stars don't mind playing from behind, and have made a habit of staying focused no matter what the score is.
"You don't want to give up the first goal, but when it happens, you have confidence and know the trust we have in each other," Stars center Tyler Seguin said. "We stay true to our identity, and know that we'll outlast teams most nights."
It's a discussion that actually highlights how hard-scoring a team the Stars are. Dallas ranks 29th in even-strength shooting percentage at 6.83 percent, and that means they can be playing pretty good hockey and not getting goals.
Stars interim coach Rick Bowness said that's been the case in many games recently.

"Every game is different," Bowness said. "If we weren't creating anything early, we'd be very concerned, but we are creating early and we're just not scoring. Then, the other team is coming down and getting one."
That happened against New Jersey, when Dallas had a scoring chance on the power play and then gave up a shorthanded goal 13 minutes into the first period. The Stars stayed patient and finally got their tying goal 18:42 into the second period. It can be a stressful way to play hockey, but the players seem fine with it.
"We've got a good group in here. We've got a lot of character. It really doesn't matter if they score first," said captain Jamie Benn. "If we could be picky, we probably don't want to be coming back in so many games, but that's just the way it is. We're a confident group whatever the score may be."
Bowness added that by playing the right way, the Stars should be scoring first more. That, statistically speaking, is a better way to do things. Dallas is 18-3-2 when scoring first, with a .783 "winning" percentage that ranks seventh in the NHL. They are 11-15-2 when allowing the first goal. That ranks seventh at .393.
"That's not part of the game plan, I can tell you that," Bowness said of the recent trend. "We're not going into the game saying, 'Let's give them one, and then we'll get it back.'"
That said, if the team does allow the first goal and is playing well, then their attitude doesn't change much. Bowness said that most times, very little changes after the team allows the first goal.
"No, not really," he said. "We try to play the right way all of the time. When we get into the third, a little more desperation probably (if we're trailing), but no early in the game."

Polak scratched, Hintz expected to return

Another game, another shuffle for the Stars.
Because they are carrying eight healthy defensemen, Dallas will likely change someone on defense every game. This time, Roman Polak is out and Andrej Sekera will come in. This is Polak's first scratch in the rotation and will end a stretch of 14 straight games in the lineup. Sekera has missed two of the four games since Stephen Johns has returned.
Up front, Roope Hintz is ready to return after missing two games with an upper-body injury. He will step right on the top line and will play center, meaning Tyler Seguin will move to right wing. Alexander Radulov will slide down to the second line with Joe Pavelski and Mattias Janmark, and Denis Gurianov will start on a line with Jason Dickinson and Corey Perry.

Bowness stressed that the lines can change throughout the game. The interim head coach has been balancing his minutes and last game was a great example. Six of the forwards played beween 13-15 minutes, while Joel Kiviranta was low minutes at 11:25.
Kiviranta played very well in his eighth NHL game and tallied his first NHL goal Saturday. But with Hintz returning, he is the easiest player to scratch.
"He played very well," Bowness said. "It's unfortunate that he plays that well and we have to pull him, but if that's what we have to do, that's what we have to do. He's a call-up and we loved what he did and we're going to see him again. It's one game."

Khudobin to get start in net

In addition to the lineup shuffles, the Stars will play Anton Khudobin in goal.
This is the first game for Khudobin since the break. He is 11-7-1 on the season with a 2.30 GAA and .927 save percentage. He hasn't had great luck while playing very well against the Rangers in his career, posting a 1-3-2 record with a 1.66 GAA and .947 save percentage.

By the numbers

63

Joe Pavelski, who
won the game Saturday in overtime
, has 63 career game-winning goals. That's 15th among active players. Pavelski's 63 would rank second on the Stars' franchise record list (Mike Modano leads with 92 and Benn is second with 47).

.921

The Stars rank first in the NHL in save percentage at .921 and second in goals against average at 2.49. The Rangers rank 10th in goal scoring at 3.26.

34.2

New York allows an average of 34.2 shots on goal per game, ranking 30th in the NHL. Dallas puts an average of 30.6 shots on goal per game, ranking 22nd.

He said it

"We're giving ourselves a chance to win every game. We're playing good defense and we're going into overtime more because of our lack of scoring. Our power play carried us there for a while. That's cooled off, but at least we're giving ourselves a chance to win every game since the break."
-- Bowness on Dallas' performance since the bye week and All-Star break

#

Stars projected lineup

Jamie Benn - Roope Hintz - Tyler Seguin
Mattias Janmark - Joe Pavelski - Alexander Radulov
Andrew Cogliano - Radek Faksa - Blake Comeau
Denis Gurianov - Jason Dickinson - Corey Perry
Esa Lindell - John Klingberg
Jamie Oleksiak - Miro Heiskanen
Andrej Sekera - Stephen Johns
Anton Khudobin
Ben Bishop
Scratched: LW Joel Kiviranta, D Roman Polak, D Taylor Fedun
Injured:C Justin Dowling (lower body), C Martin Hanzal (back)
Don't miss your chance to see the Stars take on the Minnesota Wild when they return home to American Airlines Center on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Get your tickets now!
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.