First Shift: Stars welcome Golden Knights for heated rematch

Pete DeBoer has been a fan of the top line since coming to Dallas last season. He has allowed the trio of Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski to stick together, splitting them up only because of injuries, and then reassembling them as quickly as possible.

Until Monday night.

With the Hintz line and the line of Jamie Benn, Wyatt Johnston and Evgenii Dadonov both hitting a bit of a slow patch, DeBoer swapped left wingers, putting Benn on the top line and Robertson next to Johnston. It kind of worked in a 6-3 win over the New York Rangers, as Benn had a pretty goal off a pass from Pavelski, who finished with a goal and an assist. Hintz added a goal and two assists.

“I wanted to be patient with combinations and give as long a runway as I could, particularly some of those combinations have a long history of being really, really good,” DeBoer said. “At some point, if it starts to feel stale, some guys need a change, just for a change.”

The players say they are used to change, so adapting is part of the job.

“It was good,” said Pavelski. “When there’s a shift, it simplifies your focus to more effort, execution, compete, battle. That’s what tonight’s game was about. The first period was fast. Both teams were playing fast. We got down, and it was our turn to answer. We talked quick last game. When something like that happens, we want to respond correctly, and we did that tonight.”

It will be interesting to see how long the changes stick. Part of the plan was to give Robertson a boost. He struggled in 16 minutes of ice time and didn’t have a shot attempt. Robertson led the team in scoring and shots on goal last season, which is one of the reasons DeBoer and the coaching staff are pushing for more.

“He’s an easy guy to look at and go, ‘We want more’ because he’s such a good player,” DeBoer said of Robertson. “He’s still almost a point a game for us. He’s doing a lot of good things. It reminds me a little about the playoff conversation through the rounds, ‘Well, he’s not doing enough, he’s not scoring enough’ and he’s got a point a game. I think we all want to see him at the elite level that we know he can play at, and I know he’ll get there. In the meantime, he’s still contributing, still a big part of what we’re doing.”

The fact that the “second” line of Matt Duchene with Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment has been the team’s best line in recent weeks allows DeBoer to experiment while the team is rolling at a 12-4-1 record, tied for fourth best in the NHL. And coming off the win gives the Stars all sorts of momentum heading into Wednesday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights. But it’s clear that 17 games into the season, Dallas continues to be a work in progress.

“It’s awesome to know that they’re pushing and they’re coming up with big play after big play night after night,” Pavelski said about the line. “It’s fun to watch and it’s fun to go over the boards and set your momentum for your line and keep it going. The depth has been really important for us.”

And while each line has its own chemistry, a lot depends on the individuals. Part of the decision to make the move on Monday was to help the top line by adding Benn’s presence, DeBoer said.

“Benner wants to be the difference in the game every night,” DeBoer said. “I know he’s been a little frustrated recently. I think he had a good start to the season and then he went dry for a little while but he’s been getting some good looks. I think it was just a matter of time. But he’s the heart and soul of our team. He wears it every night.”

Key Numbers

2.47
Vegas ranks third in goals against average at 2.47. The Stars are ninth in scoring at 3.43.

12
Dallas has scored just 12 first period goals and allowed 17. However, it has scored 24 second period goals and allowed just 11.

19.0
Vegas is eighth in hits per game at 19.0. Dallas is last in hits per game at 12.3

He Said It

“There’s a lot to like. We were focused on improving the special teams. I think we’ve seen that. We are generating a lot of offense the last six or seven games, we just haven’t finished. As a coach, in the big picture, you want that. You want chances, you want high-danger chances, and they are going to go in eventually. We have too much skill in the room. History dictates that for us.”

- Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy on his team’s recent 1-2-1 run.

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.