On Tuesday the Stars won an astounding 80.7 percent of their faceoffs, the second-best performance by any team since the NHL started keeping the stat in 1997. (Buffalo is first against the Islanders in 2009 at 83.0 percent).
What's amazing about the Stars performance is they did it against one of the best faceoff teams in the league in the Boston Bruins.
Dallas moved ahead of Boston into second place in the NHL this season at 55.4 percent winning percentage. On their most recent eight-game homestand, they won 60.4 percent of their draws.
Stars set league record in faceoff wins
Dallas won 80.7 percent of their faceoffs against Boston, the second-best performance by any team since the NHL started keeping the stat in 1997
By
Mike Heika
Senior Staff Writer
It's nothing new for the Stars, who have been among the best faceoff teams for years, but they certainly do seem to be taking it to new levels this season.
"This team has been blessed. They've traditionally been a good faceoff team," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. "But the guys also work at it."
It helps to have a team full of strong faceoff contenders. They practice together, challenge each other, and raise the expected level of play. Having a "think tank" of smart players who understand the dynamics of the draw also creates an environment for improvement.
Rookie Wyatt Johnston won 33.9 percent of his faceoffs in the first two months of the season. Since then, he is on a 47.0 percent clip.
"He's digging in and working at it," DeBoer said. "Some of the older guys are working with him after practice like Glendening, so there's a lot of pride in that group to be elite in that area."
Luke Glendening has traditionally been one of the most successful faceoff men in the league and he's sitting at 58.9 percent this year, second best on the team. Jamie Benn leads the team at 59.7 percent, Radek Faksa is third at 56.7 percent, Tyler Seguin is fourth at 55.6 percent, Roope Hintz is fifth at 53.7 percent, and Joe Pavelski is sixth at 53.3 percent.
Part of the reason for the success is the fact the Stars have a perfect mix of lefties and righties. Players tend to have more success on their "strong" side, meaning righties are better in the right circle and lefties are better in the left circle. Dallas has Hintz (lefty) and Pavelski (righty) on the top line, Johnston (righty) and Benn (lefty) on the second line, and Seguin (righty) and Faksa (lefty) on the third line.
"We've been lucky here that it's worked out that way," said Benn. "It definitely helps that you can work things around and get in the best position."
The question then becomes whether or not it makes much of a difference in a game. On Tuesday the Stars went 16-4 on faceoffs in the first period and still were outshot 15-6 in the opening 20 minutes. But continuing to win the faceoffs helped Dallas get back in the game, so you have to say it meant something.
The Stars went 3-1 in the overtime, which helped them draw a penalty and get six shots on goal in the extra frame. In their previous three overtime losses the Stars generated 0 shots on goal and lost in 20 seconds, 1:34 and 58 seconds.
"Possession in overtime is a huge advantage," DeBoer said. "We did some good things against Boston]. We got possession, we got a quick look 2-on-1 right off the bat and could have ended the game. Then we drew the penalty and just couldn't capitalize. So definitely a step in the right direction from getting scored on in the first shift like a few of the games have ended."
Benn said winning faceoffs also can be huge in getting the stale power play going again.
"For me, I think for sure on the power play, it starts in the faceoff circle," Benn said. "We're pretty damn good when we win that first draw, so it's a priority for us."
In fact, the game as a whole seems better when you're winning draws. No, it doesn't always work, but it's a good thing to have in your arsenal. The Stars really dug in against the Boston faceoff men, which included Patrice Bergeron, one of the best in the league. The veteran captain was a mentor to Seguin when the Stars forward played with the Bruins, and Seguin ended up going 7-for-7 against Bergeron. Seguin finished 16-1 on Tuesday.
"It's a huge part, especially against a team like that, a good faceoff team," Pavelski said of the team's mental preparation. "Guys were ready right from the drop of the puck. They hung in there and had plans, and we generated some off of [the wins]."
Just not enough at the right times. But the Stars believe this skill will pay off over a long season.
"It's big because it can decide the whole shift for you. If you win, you can spend the whole time in their end," Faksa said. "I mean it's better to have the puck than not have it. That's pretty simple."
*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.*
