Opportunities for lessons, experiments, and introspection

A hockey season is filled with revelations.
Each game can be like a day in class, an extra lab or two, or even a day at the beach reading a good book.
There are chances for lessons, for experiments, for introspection. It's pretty neat, when you start to dice it up.

The Stars just went through a fairly challenging yet illuminating five-game homestand. There were moments when the season's fast start seemed to be slipping away, and moments when the team dug deeper than they have for much of the year. And that could make it one of the best segments of the 2022-23 campaign so far.
This team started the season on fire. It scored first in 80 percent of its games, was in the top three in goal-scoring, and posted goaltending numbers that were among the best in the NHL. The top line was even better than last season, Jamie Benn almost doubled his production, and newcomers like Mason Marchment, Wyatt Johnston, Nils Lundkvist and Ty Dellandrea all seemed to be fitting in pretty good. There were hiccups along the way, but when the Stars won at St. Louis and then maybe played their best game of the year to open the homestand against Anaheim, you could just feel the confidence grow.
Jason Robertson was in the midst of one of the longest point scoring streaks in franchise history. Jake Oettinger stopped 31 shots to post his fourth career shutout. And Miro Heiskanen was climbing the defenseman scoring leaders with a three-assist performance. It almost seemed too easy.
And when that happens, it usually is. Minnesota came in the next game and took a 5-1 lead. Dallas fought back to tie, but then lost in a shootout. The next game, the Stars were possession demons, but found a way to lose 4-0 to the Maple Leafs.
So, who were these guys? Could they squander this five-game sabbatical at home? Were they finally revealing holes in their foundation?
The next two games revealed a lot.
Against Ottawa, Dallas let a two-goal lead slip away and appeared to be chasing the Senators all over the ice as they trailed late, 3-2. Lundkvist came up with a big goal to tie it up, and then Johnston combined with Tyler Seguin to win in overtime. It was big for the rookie, who found himself on the ice in a key moment despite the fact he is just 19. It was also big for the veteran, who had not scored a goal in nine games and was looking sort of weary from the weight. The fact that so many passed a pretty tough exam was not lost on the coaching staff, which knows winning in overtime will be crucial this season.
Not so ironically, the coaches were also tested and learned. Pete DeBoer has favored consistency in his forward lines this season, but he decided to juggle in that game. It paid off. The next game against Detroit, he did the same thing, moving Denis Gurianov onto a line with Jamie Benn and Johnston, and putting Dellandrea with Seguin and Mason Marchment.
It was a decision fueled in part by the fact Gurianov finally snapped out of a funk, and equally because it was time for a change.
"I wanted to reward Denis, and that was the start of it," DeBoer said of the motivation. "We've got lots of different options there."
And that might be the best lesson. Yes, this team has done very well sticking with what has been working, but it also has options. Gurianov could move around and could find his game again. Johnston and Dellandrea have played well with Benn and might now be able to help other lines. Seguin could be a key to creating the forward depth, making this one of the best offensive teams in the NHL.
That's a lot to consider, but it's all on the table now because of the past few games.
Likewise, the Stars had some leaks defensively and really patched them up in the second half against a good Detroit team. The coaches sat Lundkvist for three games, and it really seemed to help the 22-year-old. The former first round draft pick was acquired by the Rangers before training camp, and he has been going through his own classroom. Now, he's out with Miro Heiskanen for large chunks of games, and he's showing he can play beside the talented blueliner. That is something that could be huge going forward - sort of like finding the perfect partner for Sergei Zubov in Darryl Sydor.
Of course, we're jumping the gun on something like that, but it's what we tend to do in the world of hockey, assume we know the answers to the final exam when we're barely into the semester. That's why we must stay patient on this journey.
The past homestand was very manageable. The next road trip is quite a bit tougher. Trips to the Penguins, Devils, Capitals, Hurricanes and Blue Jackets are daunting, but they also can be educational. The ups and downs are far from over, as the Stars haven't yet seen the adversity other squads have, and the road-heavy schedule continues through December and January
But this is the beauty of the journey. Every mile brings new scenery, every game brings more lessons. It will all reveal itself eventually, and you just have to enjoy the process while it's happening.
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.