The Stars' mindset on road games and building momentum

Ryan Suter understands the mind games of playoff hockey as well as anyone.
The 38-year-old defenseman is a veteran of 18 NHL seasons and has seen it all, so when fans at Xcel Energy Center boo him every time he touches the puck in a First Round playoff series with the Minnesota Wild, Suter just chuckles and says he gets it.

"It is what it is," Suter said. "Obviously, you don't want that, but I think our guys, we were having a little fun with it, having a laugh at it. It's part of the game."
Suter played nine seasons for the Wild and his contract was bought out by GM Bill Guerin in 2021. Guerin wanted to change the direction of the franchise and free up potential salary cap space, so he bought out both Suter and Zach Parise, who had signed matching 13-year contracts in 2012. Suter wanted to stay with the Wild and was shocked by the decision at the time. However, he moved on as an unrestricted free agent and signed a four-year deal with the Stars.
Now, as he and his new teammates return, he has been painted as a villain. He said he can see their perspective yet wonders the real root of it.
"It's emotions, right?" Suter said. "I think it's playoff emotions, playoff intensity. The fans are intense, the players are intense and that's just part of the game."
When the Stars visited earlier in the season, Suter and goalie Jake Oettinger, a Minnesota native, organized an outdoor practice. He said he enjoyed his years in the Twin Cities and simply wanted to show Stars teammates what it is like here. Now, he said, he is a part of the Dallas team, and they have to circle the wagons as they try to win the best-of-seven First Round playoff series.
"For me, it's competing to win a Stanley Cup," he said. "I love this place, but we want to win the Stanley Cup and I'm going to do whatever, just like all these guys in here. We're going to do whatever we can to make that a reality."
Since joining the Stars, Suter has been second on the team to Miro Heiskanen in time on ice. That's the same in this series, as he averages 24:17 per game. He currently is second on the team in SAT percentage at 63.2 percent. The stat measures shot attempt differential when a player is on the ice and is often seen as a measurement for "puck possession." In that regard, Suter is fighting back as best he can with good play.
"I don't think it throws you off," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said of hearing the boos throughout a game. "I think certain guys thrive on that. I don't think Sutes has a problem with being a villain. I think he's got that DNA, I think that drives him."
Teammates said they are having fun with it.
"He loves it," said forward Tyler Seguin. "I've been around Boston, Toronto games, where there were some 'Thank you Segs' and you live for that. I had times in Winnipeg, I'd get booed every time I touched the puck and I still to this day have no idea why. Sometimes it gets you more into it, so I think Ryan's loving it."
Suter said he takes it all in stride and believes the best reply is to win the hockey game.
"You hear it, but you like it, actually," he said. "It gets you into the game. Obviously, last night, we weren't able to take advantage of that, but I think it engages you. You definitely hear it and it gets you pumped up, and the other guys are having fun with it. They were getting a little pumped up, too."
Key Numbers
70
Minnesota leads the playoff so far in blocked shots with 70. Dallas leads the playoffs in shots that missed the net at 54. That means the Stars have taken 124 shots that have not reached the goalie in three playoff games.
89
Dallas is last in the playoffs in hits with 89 in three games. Minnesota is 11th with 113.
58.0 percent
Dallas leads the playoffs in faceoff winning percentage at 58.0 percent. The Stars led the NHL during the regular season at 54.8 percent.
He said it
"They're a physical team. I think we have made them pay on the power play for crossing the line. We didn't yesterday. We have to do that. That's a piece of it, but we're a big, heavy team, too. There's no doubt they were a little bit more desperate than us, which probably made it look like they were the more physical team. But I think we have that game. When I look through the three games so far, I don't think that's been a story. I think it looked like it was maybe a story last night, just because we weren't as competitive as we needed to be."
- Stars coach Pete DeBoer when asked if his team was getting pushed around by the Wild.
Expected lineup
Robertson-Hintz-Seguin
Benn-Johnston-Dadonov
Marchment-Domi-Dellandrea
Kiviranta-Faksa-Glendening
Suter-Heiskanen
Lindell-Hakanpää
Harley-Miller
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