Heika’s Take: Deja vu strikes again as Stars defeat Blues late, win six straight

Well, that was kind of perfect.

For the third time in 13 days, the Stars found themselves tied with the St. Louis Blues late in the third period, and for the third time in 13 days, the lads in Victory Green pulled out a win in regulation. It was an odd series of events, but nonetheless sends Dallas into the Olympic Break on a six-game win streak, with a lot to think about in terms of improvement.

“There's always something to work on as a group,” said captain Jamie Benn, who won the game in the final minute off a sweet pass from Miro Heiskanen. “We're not perfect by any means. I like the way we have found ways to win, and we'll get some rest and come back and work at our game. We're in for a sprint after these Olympics and it'll be fun.”

The race for the Central Division has been epic already. Colorado won Wednesday and is now 37-9-9 (83 points). Minnesota won Wednesday and is now 34-14-10 (78 points) and Dallas is still in the thick of the race at 34-14-9 (77 points). As of Thursday morning, those three occupy the top three spots in the NHL standings and they will all have to play each other to advance in the playoffs. Sure, that’s a ways off, but the proximity is definitely something to think about on the break.

“Each game is a preparation for the playoffs,” said forward Matt Duchene, who finished with a goal and an assist. “We probably have Minnesota in the first round, and if we win that, we have Colorado. We’ve got to go through the gauntlet, and to do that we need our game to be at a high level. I think we’ve done a lot of good things lately and we’ll come back really hungry from this break.”

Seven Stars players are expected to participate in the Olympics, and the rest will get some down time to relax or be with family. But the squad is scheduled to come back early, go through a mini training camp, and then go through a fierce run in the final 25 games over a 50-days span.

The recent six-game winning streak has challenged the team, which is under a new coaching staff this season, and taught a few lessons in the process.

“It’s nice, because it buys you some peace on the break,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “It is important for how guys feel about themselves on the break, they feel good about themselves and take some down time.”

Two players who are definitely feeling better about their games are Benn and Duchene. The two veteran forwards dealt with injuries and slow starts this season but have been clicking on the same line together. Duchene currently has six goals and three assists in a six-game point streak, while Benn has two goals and six assists in a four-game streak. They’re not the only ones, as younger forwards Mavrik Bourque and Justin Hryckowian are getting bigger roles and capitalizing, and the defensive pair of Thomas Harley and Nils Lundkvist is starting to build chemistry.

All of that was important Wednesday - and it should be even more so going forward. Dallas built a 4-2 lead on goals by Jason Robertson, Bourque, Duchene and Benn, but the Blues found a way to push two goals past Jake Oettinger to tie the game with five minutes left.

It was a rough third period, and that Stars have had a few of those recently, but then Heiskanen made a fantastic drive up ice and found a wide open Benn for a big one-timer that will be a great memory to sleep on for the next three weeks.

“He has been huge,” Duchene said. “Even when he hasn't been on the board, he's been huge and helping our line score, and we had really good chemistry last year. We played together, and we've kind of found it again here. Like I said, he's playing outstanding, and it's just been a lot of fun to play with him.”

Ilya Lyubushkin came back on defense and played 15 minutes, and Lian Bichsel is expected to return after the break for the first time since late November. Even so, GM Jim Nill could look to add an extra defenseman or forward before the March 6 trade deadline.

“We’re obviously open to anything and we’ll keep looking, but I like where we are,” Nill said. “I think we have done a lot of good things so far.”

At the very least, they know how to win close games.

“When we're up goals, we want to push without giving up that one, and good teams do that,” Duchene said. “Hopefully, we're going to have leads in the playoffs and we're going to have teams that are desperate trying to come back and throwing everything at us. We have got to handle that a little bit better, but it’s good to go through it now and learn from it.”

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.