First Shift: Stars continue search for quick start against Devils

Jason Robertson was discussing the state of the Stars at mid-season when it was broached that there are areas where they haven’t reached their goals yet, and one in particular hit a nerve.

“I don’t really like when we talk so much about how we can do better at this or do better at that,” Robertson said. “It just seems like a lot of talk to me. The whole season we have talked about our first periods, and we still now come out sluggish. I don’t know, I think we need more action and less talk.”

Clearly talk is part of the process in fixing problems, but the sentiment is clear. The Stars are among the league leaders in several statistical categories, but starting fast isn’t one of them. Dallas has scored first in 20 of 43 games, ranking 23rd in the NHL.

That’s something they have to fix, whether they talk about it or not.

What seems to be helping the team post the seventh best points percentage in the league is the fact they are tied for the third-most comeback wins (14) and also lead the NHL in third period scoring with 64 goals. This is a scrappy bunch, and it’s reflected not only within a game, but game to game. Dallas has lost consecutive games in regulation just twice this season. They often respond to their worst games with some of their best, and that’s an appropriate subject right now.

Dallas played maybe its worst game of the season on Thursday at Philadelphia. The Stars were outshot 28-3 midway through the game and ended up losing 5-1. If not for the miraculous goaltending of Jake Oettinger, the score could have been a lot worse. But if ever there was a time this team didn’t really need to talk about a response, this might be it.

“It’s all about your response,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “You’re going to have some poor games during the year. We’ve had them before. As a group, we’ve got to regroup and respond the right way.”

Dallas had a 6-1 loss to Vegas and bounced back with a 6-3 win over the Red Wings in December. They lost to Calgary, 7-4, in November and bounced back to beat Winnipeg.

“I think our group has been good that way,” DeBoer said. “This one is tough, though. It’s a humbling loss. We haven’t been beaten that badly in all facets of the game this year. That’s one that’s going to sting for a couple of days.”

But you can only take it one game at a time – and a good way to start is to have a good first period.

“It wasn’t our best start. They came out hard and after that we were kind of in the sand for what felt like the whole game,” said defenseman Jani Haakanpää. “You’ve got to be ready when the puck drops. We all know it wasn’t our best and we’ve got to get better for the next one.”

Key Numbers

3.61
The Stars rank third in the NHL in scoring at 3.61 goals per game. New Jersey ranks seventh at 3.44.

857
New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff is fourth all-time in coaching wins with 857. He earned 165 of them in four seasons with the Stars.

17
Tyler Seguin has scored 17 goals this season, all at even strength. He leads the Stars and ranks ninth in the NHL.

He Said It

“It’s huge. When you’re not afraid to make a mistake, generally you don’t make them. When you’re playing 12 or 13 minutes a night and you make a mistake and then you get sat, that’s when the mistakes start to come because that’s when you start thinking about it. It’s nice to not have that doubt in the back of your head.”

- Stars defenseman Thomas Harley on the fact he is averaging 24 minutes a game with Miro Heiskanen out of the lineup

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.