Nils Lundkvist is back after a reset and with a good growth mindset

It's been a whirlwind few months for Nils Lundkvist.
He was traded to the Stars from the Rangers, earned a spot in the lineup, and played in the first 22 games this season. Although he sat out the past three as a healthy scratch, it's not the worst thing in the world. The 22-year-old received a chance to watch and reset, and that can be a good thing.

"I think like a lot of young players you break the season down into segments," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. "He came in and made a really good first impression, he played really well early, both ways, defending and offensively. And then, not surprisingly, 20 games in, with the schedule and fatigue and grind, it caught up to him and some of those areas dropped off a little bit."

Lundkvist averaged 17:29 in his first 22 games and had some high points. However, he was minus-5 in his last four games and played just 13 minutes in his last outing, so it was time for a break.
"It's never fun to sit out, but you're taking the rest and trying to prepare for the next opportunity," he said.
Lundkvist played 13:55 a game last season and logged just 25 appearances. That's one of the reasons he requested a trade from the Rangers. Having played as much as he has with Dallas, a few games off was pretty easy to handle.
"I think the organization has been awesome, the team has been awesome, it's been very easy to move into the group," Lundkvist said. "It's a very tight group. It's a good combination of older guys and younger guys, it's been awesome so far."
He said he is looking to be more consistent in his play, and he should get that opportunity.
"I think I play more solid than last year - quicker passer, I make better decisions, and now it's about being consistent," he said. "It's just small details, it's all about that. I feel like the system is fitting me pretty well. It's skating a lot and it's been a lot of fun so far."

DeBoer said he looks forward to seeing Lundkvist back in the lineup.
"He came out, and we reset him, and I'm excited to see him back in there," DeBoer said. "I think he's going to be a really good player for a long time."
Key Numbers
11
The Maple Leafs have points in 11 straight games (8-0-3). Dallas is 6-1-4 in its past 11.
19, 18
Jason Robertson has tallied points in 18 straight games. Toronto's Mitch Marner has scored in 19 straight games. According to the NHL, there has never been a game where two players riding point streaks of 18 or more games have played each other.
38
Dallas has scored more third period goals than any team in the NHL at 38.
He said it
"For me, I've been in situations like this before, where it becomes a little bit of a mental block, and you just need to win one to get it going the other way. This is the same group that couldn't lose in overtime or a shootout last year down the stretch. We need one to kind of go our way, and I think we probably won't be talking about it again."
-Stars coach Pete DeBoer on the team's 0-3-2 record in overtime and shootouts
Expected lineup
Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski
Marchment-Faksa-Seguin
Benn-Johnston-Dellandrea
Kiviranta-Glendening-Gurianov
Heiskanen-Miller
Lindell-Hakanpaa
Suter-Lundkvist
Oettinger
Wedgewood
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.