Sturdy Faksa finding way to add to Stars' depth scoring

VANCOUVER, British Columbia --The dearth of depth scoring on the Stars has been a much-discussed topic all season.
I mean, Mattias Janmark had 19 goals last season and has just six this year, Blake Comeau is at six after getting 13 with Colorado last season, Valeri Nichushkin has yet to score a goal in 56 games, Radek Faksa is…
Wait a second here -- Radek Faksa is a shining beacon of consistency.

In fact, he is hands down the best example of a player who has found a way to play his game under three different coaches and still score goals for the Stars. In 2016-17 under Lindy Ruff, Faksa had 12 goals among 33 points. Last season under Ken Hitchcock, he had 17 goals among 33 points. This year under Jim Montgomery, Faksa has 15 goals among 28 points with four games to play.

"He's the same pretty much every game, and I think that's a big thing for him," said defenseman John Klingberg. "He's so good overall that I know a lot of people want to play with Faks, they want to be on his line."
Two years ago, Faksa helped bring out the best in Antoine Roussel. Last season, he was a big boost for Tyler Pitlick. This season, he has been used a great deal with Pitlick, Janmark, Comeau and even Jamie Benn. While his linemates have struggled to score at times, Faksa finds a way to get the job done.
"I'm just trying to be patient and always go hard to the net, just be around the goalie, tip the pucks. Most of my goals come from around the net, so I try to go there a lot," Faksa said. "My theory is if you go hard all of the time, it will bounce your way. So I try to work hard every shift and be patient and not get frustrated, and that helps a lot. I'm a big guy, y'know, so I have to use that."
It's a strategy that is being copied at times by his teammates, but Faksa does it with a certain panache. He is 6-3, 220, and he has a history of being pretty good with his hands. Before being called up to the NHL in 2015, Faksa had 26 points (15 goals, 11 assists) in 28 AHL games.

Montgomery credits both size and energy for Faksa's results.
"He's just a big horse," Montgomery said. "No one likes playing against Radek Faksa because of the way he wins battles, the way he's in your face, the way he's on top of people. It's very underrated how great a forechecker he is, and I think a lot of his offense comes from that."
Faksa finished seventh in voting for the Selke Trophy last season, given to the best defensive forward in the NHL, and his assignment is typically to shut down the other team's best players. By playing that role, he can actually get good scoring chances by facing offensive-minded skaters who might take a few more chances.
"When Faksy plays well defensively, he's out there against guys who want to score, and I think that frustrates them and creates offensive opportunities for him and his linemates," said forward Jason Dickinson. "It opens up a little bit of ice if you play well defensively."

Faksa said he tries to employ that strategy and also tries to be hungry to score goals.
"I first want to stop the other team and I want to win battles and get the puck, and when you do that, I think you get chances," Faksa said. "And then when you get chances, I really do want to score. I'm a forward, and we all want to score goals, so I do think that's important. I work hard at defense, but then when I get my chances, I want to take advantage of them."
So far, he's been the team's most consistent depth scoring forward, and he's acting as a pretty good example for his teammates.
"Everyone wants to contribute, but he goes out and does it," said Dickinson, who has five goals this season. "It's huge for us, too, because we know when we get the depth scoring, it elevates the whole team. When we get goals from the bottom six, if you will, it helps us win games."
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.