'We have to be angry at ourselves': Loss Tuesday sets tone for Friday

Redemption is a hockey player's friend.
It's one reason they always say you can't get too high, and you can't get too low.

There's always another game around the corner, and you just have to stay as calm as you can when you navigate an 82-game schedule. Heck, even in the playoffs, the season isn't over until the last loss, so you must believe in yourself and fight until the final horn.
The Stars right now are in a slump. They've lost four straight, so redemption is pretty important. On Friday they'll play the same Blues team that just beat them Tuesday. You can't lay it out much better than that.
"These guys have been around long enough to know, they're pros," Stars coach Rick Bowness said. "You start looking ahead and you're in trouble, you start looking back and you're in trouble."

Now, there's a bit of fudging in that philosophy. Yes, you let the past fade away, but at the same time, you have to let it motivate you, as well. And that's where the redemption comes in. The Stars lost a 4-1 game to the Blues on Tuesday and didn't look good doing it. Bowness questioned the intensity of some of his players, and it was clear on Thursday that practice was a little more intense.
Bottom line, many individuals know they can play better.
"It was a good practice, guys were a lot sharper than they were a few days ago," said Tyler Seguin, who was one of the players who straggled last game. "Coming off that West Coast trip, guys were a bit tired, and I could feel that myself, but today was a lot better."
The Stars are dealing with illness. Roope Hintz and Alexander Radulov missed last game but were back at practice on Thursday. However, Miro Heiskanen is battling illness and will not make the trip to St. Louis. Likewise, Seguin had surgery on his knee and hip that caused him to miss most of last season, and his recovery still is ongoing. But that's also part of the redemption thing.
"It's been an adjustment," he said. "I just look at every day as a new opportunity. Whether I have good days or bad days, I still will lay at night and be frustrated, but also tell myself that I'm happy to be in this environment and going through the grind of this season with these guys."

The irony of the current slump is that it follows a seven-game win streak. The irony of the win streak is it followed the Minnesota game. These guys are used to that.
Now, the problem with the roller coaster is it puts you in a precarious position. Dallas sits 13-11-2, nine points behind the Blues and outside the playoff race. The Stars not only need to make a statement for their mental health, but they also need to gather points and keep a division opponent from moving further ahead. So, they have to juggle the redemption with anger and a little bit of fear and doubt.
One of the interesting things about momentum is that you can't really measure the confidence of players. When they're flying high, the game seems easier because they believe. When they have doubt, it's just one more factor that can keep you from scoring a goal or making a save.
That said, you don't typically have a different kind of emotion when you're winning.
"No one likes to lose, and we don't like to lose the way we did in Minnesota, and as a pro with a lot of pride, it has to hurt you and you have to come back with some anger," Bowness said. "To win that game Friday], we have to be angry at ourselves for playing the way we did. You've got to get angry, and you have to have pride. It starts with that."
That's a big part of the plan, and a little bonding, as well. Bowness called out some players on Tuesday, and Seguin was probably one of those. But, the coach said, his anger is an emotion that has plenty of targets.
"I get mad at the players, but I get mad at myself too," Bowness said. "I know I vent at them after the game, but I'm mad at myself. I'm the first person I look at when we don't play up to our standards. What could I have done differently?"
While the health of the lineup still is in question, Bowness put Seguin on a line with Jamie Benn on Thursday. That could be a move that helps the forward work out of his slump.
"I've got to help him, and I've got to put him in a position to succeed and then he's got to help himself," Bowness said. "It's both of us."
That's the power of redemption. It can bring together forces who know that a new challenge awaits each game. Fix this, and the Stars can start a nice run against division opponents with the pay off a huge boost in the standings.
"I'm excited about this team, and I'm excited about myself," said Seguin. "We put it all together and we can definitely win seven in a row again."
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.