Kiviranta proves it's not about making mistakes, it's how you rebound

Joel Kiviranta had a bad game last week.
The 24-year-old forward made a weak read on a defensive play that allowed Columbus' Boone Jenner to walk out of the corner late in the second period and stuff a puck past Anton Khudobin for a key first goal in a key game against the Blue Jackets. Then, early in the third period, Kiviranta tossed a puck off the boards in his own end, leaving Oliver Bjorkstrand alone in front of Khudobin for an easy goal that would be crucial in a 3-2 Stars loss.
Afterward, the young Finn was crestfallen.

"With how it's going now, it feels so bad to make plays and mistakes like what I did for the team right now," Kiviranta said of the slumping Stars. "We need to keep digging and get more confidence and show up on Saturday again."
The Stars did just that, beating Columbus 5-0 in the rematch, and Kiviranta has done just that, scoring a goal and two assists in the next three games and proving that he can rebound from adversity.

Stars coach Rick Bowness talked to Kiviranta and put him back on a line with Roope Hintz, and the two responded with a pretty goal 1:40 into a 6-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday. It was an amazing display of confidence -- Bowness' confidence in Kiviranta, and Kiviranta's confidence in himself.
"Yeah, I had a little chat with him. He was down a little bit, so we had a little chat to pick him up a little bit," Bowness said. "I think when you sense that your player is not feeling the same thing you are, then you've got to talk about it right away. It gives a player an open chance to tell me what he's thinking, and you've got to have those honest conversations. It was a good conversation."
Kiviranta echoed those sentiments.
"For myself, I was a little kind of lost after those mistakes and I lost my confidence a little bit," he said. "It's so easy to go talk with Rick, and he has good points and he makes you feel like they trust you, and you get a little confidence back."
Kiviranta is in an intriguing place in his career. He made the commitment last season to come over from Finland and sign with Dallas as an unrestricted free agent. He played 48 games in the AHL and 11 in the NHL and then headed to the playoff bubble as an expected healthy scratch.

However, Dallas experienced some injuries, and Kiviranta was called upon to play in key postseason games. He finished with five goals and one assist in 14 playoff games and earned a spot as a lineup regular this season.
He battled injuries to start the season, but has found a spot next to Hintz and is learning every game.
"It felt good," Kiviranta said of the goal Tuesday. "When you score a goal and help the team win the game, that feels good. Those mistakes against Columbus, you try to forget. There are mistakes, it happens in hockey games and there's no time to stay there and think about that too much. Sometimes, things happen."
That's a lesson Bowness has been repeating with his young players. He has received great results from Jason Robertson, Ty Dellandrea and Jake Oettinger, who have learned from earlier mistakes and made quick improvements. Kiviranta is the same.
"There is good chemistry there with Roope and Kivi, and it shows," Bowness said. "It shows the importance of Roope to our team. He is our best forward and he is playing great, and Kivi reads off of him. They are good friends off the ice and there is great chemistry there on the ice. It's great to see Kivi score the goal make a couple of good plays."

Kiviranta and Hintz each hail from Finland, and Kiviranta said that helps in terms of chemistry. But he added that any player has a chance to be better when he plays on a line with Hintz.
"He's a very good player and I really enjoy to play with him," Kiviranta said.
"It helps a little bit that we speak the same language, but that's not the biggest thing because during the game there is not too much time to speak Finnish. It feels easy to play with him. I know where he's going, and he can skate, and he likes to play with the puck, and that's a perfect center and huge for us."
And if the duo can consistently produce points, that will be big for a Stars team that is pushing hard to get back into the playoff picture.
"It's huge," Kiviranta said of the six-goal outburst and the confidence it brings. "We have talked about that, that we play the game the right way and we get the good chances, but we're still missing goals. Last night, we scored those goals and it felt pretty good."

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This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.