First Shift: Stars look to rebound quickly against surging Rangers

Pete DeBoer was asked the other day what a fast start to the season means to his team, and, in retrospect, his answer seems very telling today.

“It’s a tough league and there’s a ton of pressure on everybody all year, and just the fact you don’t have that pressure sitting right on top of you a month into the season, I think is beneficial long term,” DeBoer said. “That breathing room and the ability to stumble and not all of the sudden be on the outside looking in, because you know you’re going to stumble at some time, so it’s always nice to have that cushion.”

The Stars are coming off a painful performance in a 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. Dallas jumped off to a 3-0 lead, had a few hiccups, and Colorado came storming back and took over the game. That might have been disastrous for another team, but the Stars are 11-4-1 and still in first place in the Central Division. Now, they have games against the Rangers (12-2-1) and Golden Knights (13-4-2) coming up on Monday and Wednesday, but they aren’t intimidated; instead, they are motivated.

That’s why after the loss, the Stars leaders were philosophical and determined, rather than panicked.

“It’s something I never would’ve predicted. That’s definitely not us," said forward Tyler Seguin, who had two goals in the game. "We’re happy it happened now, it’s not a playoff game or it’s not late in the season. It’s a great learning tool for us to study and learn from."

Captain Jamie Benn added, “Tonight’s a great example that hockey is sixty minutes for a reason. We had a great first period, a little back and forth in the second. We have to play sixty minutes.”

Dallas has been working on several things, like getting better starts and getting the power play going. In the past three games, the Stars dominated the start of games and scored seven power play goals in that span. What’s more, the line of Seguin with Matt Duchene and Mason Marchment has scored 18 points (8 goals, 10 assists) at even strength in the past five games and is one of the hottest lines in the league.

So while there are some things that need attention, there are also things that are going well. Plus, the Stars had to work to get those things on point, and that’s a lesson in how good this team can be at fixing things.

“You can’t just walk out of the rink with a bad taste in your mouth because of the result,” DeBoer said. “You have to look at it realistically. There were big portions of that game where we really played well – some of our best hockey of the year. Just have to do it for longer and longer stretches.”

After 16 games, the Stars sit fourth in points percentage (.719), second in penalty kill success (89.1 percent), eighth in faceoff winning percentage (52.5 percent) and eighth in goals against (2.75). The impressive thing is they could actually be a lot better in several of those statistical categories.

“There’s always a benefit to winning games, and the benefit is that the message that you’re promoting as a coaching staff is getting results,” DeBoer said. “That’s always a better sell to the players when you ask them to do difficult things.”

Key Numbers

33.3 percent
The Rangers rank second in the NHL in power play success at 33.3 percent. Dallas ranks second in penalty kill success at 89.1 percent.

2.20
The Rangers rank second in goals against average at 2.22 and are fourth in fewest shots against at 27.7 per game.

Minus-14
Jamie Benn is minus-14 in 21 career games against the Rangers. That is his worst plus-minus against any opponent. He has 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists) in that span.

He Said It

“I know that it’s not always 60 minutes of domination, but no game ever is. I liked the way that we’ve come out and played and the way we attack teams at the start. I liked the fact that we’ve had to fight back in some third periods — we stayed with it. Guys are working hard to win.”

- Rangers coach Peter Laviolette after a 5-3 comeback win against New Jersey Saturday

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.