Heika’s Take: Stars continue to sharpen up overall game in 3-2 win over Mammoth

Oftentimes this season, the Stars have been good at learning from their mistakes.

Saturday was one of those times.

After getting drubbed in the faceoff circle in a loss to Utah two weeks ago, Dallas won 57 percent of the draws. After having some tough power plays with games on the line, the Star cashed in twice on the man advantage. And after slipping down to the bottom five in physicality numbers, the Lads in Victory Green were petty ornery in handing out 25 hits.

It all added up to a 3-2 win over the Mammoth at Delta Center, and a sweep of a three-game road trip.

“We had to get back into our game,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “You can see a visible difference in how we’re playing the last two.”

Dallas had an extended swoon in December and January, going 2-6-4 in one stretch. But after finding their center in recent weeks, they are 5-1-0 in their past six and have moved up to 32-14-9 on the campaign. That’s still third best in the Central Division, but it is fourth best in points percentage in the NHL, and closer to what the team has envisioned for itself.

“We’ve been working through some things in January, and this is good,” said Wyatt Johnston, who scored on the power play and helped drive a lot of the details in the Dallas game. “This is a huge road trip, we beat some good teams.”

Dallas had to hold off a late rally by St. Louis on Tuesday, had to bounce back from being tied late by Vegas to win in a shootout, and then once again took a comfortable lead and made it not as comfortable against Utah. But in each game, the Stars improved on some of the details and forced their opponents to have to work really hard.

On Saturday, Utah finished with just 14 shots on goal (to 32 for the Stars), including just four in the third period. So yes, Dallas was protecting a one-goal lead, but it did so in a pretty confident manner.

“I thought we did a great job of getting bodies on their D-men, and we clogged up the neutral zone well,” said defenseman Thomas Harley, who scored a power play goal. “We’re outplaying teams, which is big. To be playing well and to get rewarded for that is good for our group.”

It builds confidence in a team that was wobbling. Matt Duchene scored for the fourth straight game (five goals) and now has nine on the season. That’s huge for a team that is looking to generate danger from at least three lines. Johnston had six shots on goal and won 8-of-11 faceoffs. Radek Faksa and Roope Hintz were also big on draws. Mavrik Bourque and Justin Hryckowian continue to get bigger roles late in games, and that’s a huge plus as the team looks to find its real identity.

“It’s going to prepare us for the games as they get tighter and the margin of victory gets smaller,” Duchene said. “I think we’ve shown that when we do that, we’re good.”

Dallas opened the scoring on a smart play by Harley and Bourque just two minutes into the game. The Stars were on an early power play when the second unit came out. Harley got pushed into the “bumper” position in front of the net while Bourque slid into Harley’s normal spot by the blue line. The two made eye contact, Bourque got the puck to the net and Harley converted.

It was a positive sign.

Five minutes later, Johnston tipped in a Mikko Rantanen shot and it was 2-0. Utah scored a few minutes later to make it 2-1, but then Jamie Benn made a great play to set up Duchene in transition and the Stars were up 3-1 after 20 minutes.

Dallas stayed in lockdown mode, and while Utah scored again in the third, the Mammoth were not able to force overtime. Goalie Casey DeSmith was steady, and the Stars as a team were snarly in their disposition.

Gulutzan has been pushing for a return to physicality, and while the hits were important, the attitude was bigger. Utah is battling for a wildcard playoff spot and sits 13 points behind the Stars right now for third, so the Mammoth weren’t going to go quietly. But as the scrums got dialed up, players like Hintz, Esa Lindell and Johnston were right in the middle of it all.

Gulutzan said he is more impressed with the “compete” plays than the hits.

“When you’re playing a little bit more of a physical game, you’re idling higher and you’re more into it,” the coach said. “And when you’re more into it, the engine is going and you’re a little fired up.”

It’s the kind of style the team will need in the playoffs, and really, during the stretch run after the Olympics.

“It’s got to continue, we know that’s got to be a part of the fabric of our team,” Gulutzan said. “The players see it, we all see it, and it’s got to carry on.”

And, if you have noticed in recent games, this team does know how to improve on areas of need.

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 X @MikeHeika.