Burnside: Five takeaways from Stars' 7-1 thrashing of Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. --The Dallas Stars wrapped up an almost-perfect four-game road trip against Eastern Conference foes with a convincing 7-1 win over the lowly Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon.
Here are some mutterings and meanderings about the game, the road trip and a Dallas team that continues to trend upward.

1. Takin' care of businessto end road swing

We like to throw in a little

into our scribblings whenever we can, and it's applicable here as the Stars did just that in crushing one of the NHL's worst teams to finish their four-game road trip 3-0-1, collecting seven of a possible eight points.
After starting slowly in their shootout loss to Columbus on Thursday, and their 4-2 win over Detroit two days earlier, the Stars practiced vigorously on Friday and that carried into Saturday's matinee. Remi Elie poked home a loose puck just 5:03 into the game, and a little more than nine minutes later, it was Mattias Janmark with his first of two on the power play.
The Stars never looked back from there, scoring four more times in the second period and once in the third.
"I think we're really playing for each other. I think that's the big difference," Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We're playing so hard for each other that we're holding each other accountable. We're keeping each other on task.
"The players are carrying our voices during the competition. They're saying the things on the ice that we're saying during practice. Those are things that you really value because that means we're becoming a team. That's what we're doing.
"I don't know where this is going to go at the end of the year. There's just so many good teams not only in the Central, but in the West. There's just so many dynamic teams, but all we've got to do to give ourselves a chance is keep playing well and act as a group, and that's exactly what we're doing."
That Dallas beat up on a very bad Buffalo team shouldn't come as much of a surprise. But that they finished a successful road trip in such an emphatic fashion is a reminder of how far this team has come in terms of its approach.
They identified some areas they wanted to improve on in the middle of this trip and then went out and did just that. With the win, the Stars are now 11-4-3 in their last 18 games. That's a pretty good sample size as the team heads home for dates with Florida and Toronto before the All-Star break.
"It's important. I think the Columbus game wasn't really up to our standards, so we wanted to bounce back here tonight and have a strong effort and play the way we know we can and the right way," said captain Jamie Benn, "and I thought we did that tonight."
Added Janmark: "You want to be a team that can bounce back. I think all good teams do after bad games and losses and stuff like that, so it's a good sign that we were able to."

2. Getting full-on participation from the lineup matters

Hitchcock identified full-on participation as one of the keys to the second half of the season for the Stars. At its most basic, that means getting goals from up and down the lineup, but it's a little more complex than that.
It's about each forward line creating energy, playing with urgency that even if they don't score, helps propel the entire group forward. Or something like that.
This trip as a whole, and Saturday's game specifically, has been an excellent illustration of just how that should work.
Janmark had a nice day with three points on two goals and an assist, but he was the only multiple goal scorer as six different Stars figured in on the scoring. Six Stars players had multi-point games. The team's top players were involved, as you would expect them to be.
Benn scored in the second-period outburst and added an assist to extend his point streak to seven games in what was his best performance on this road trip. Alexander Radulov had an assist and, likewise, has a seven-game point streak. John Klingberg added three assists to pad his lead as the NHL's highest-scoring defenseman (46 points in 48 games).
But having Janmark, who now has 12 goals in this comeback season after missing all of last season with a knee injury, and Radek Faksa, who scored his 12th in the rout and added an assist, contributing on a regular basis is key.
Jason Spezza, who was scratched to start the road trip in Boston last Monday, had a pair of assists, and the line of Spezza, Janmark and Elie was effective throughout.
Again, this is a perilously-bad Buffalo team, so let's keep some perspective. But these kinds of performances do illustrate what is possible from this lineup.
"I thought out workers set the tone today. I thought Faksa's line was outstanding," Hitchcock said. "We had a lot of working shifts. Elie was outstanding. We had a lot of the blue-collar guys really set the tone for us today, and everybody fed through that. Faksa's line was dominant."
It won't happen every game, but it's also helpful for those role players' confidence when they do have nights where their contributions are more tangible like this.
"It's important, I think, this whole road trip, we had every guy do their part, pitch in," Benn said. "Seven out of eight (points), that's pretty good for a short road trip. And I thought every player played a factor in getting those points."

3. Hail to the Kling

We've spent a lot of time over the past couple of months
talking about Klingberg and his evolution as an NHL defenseman.
The points are easy to see and, right now, there isn't any NHL blue-liner who's as dynamic as Klingberg. His ability to walk the puck on the blue line and get shots on goal is unparalleled.
He had three primary assists against Buffao and is closing in on point-a-game territory. But that's just part of his evolution.
He's worked hard with defensive coach Rick Wilson to simplify his game and take much of the risk out of it.
"I've changed a little bit with how I play with the puck. I play a little bit easier," Klingberg said. "Finding that balance when I can do stuff with the puck and when I should just play easy."
The funny part is that even as his ice time has gone up, Klingberg, who said it took 15 to 20 games to really get what Wilson wanted him to do, said he's got more energy because he's playing smarter and not chasing the puck as much.
And he has used that energy to help grow his point totals.
"It's just if I keep playing a good, all-around game, I know my points are going to come and I'm going to help the team win," Klingberg said.
Hitchcock said he's not surprised at the transformation of Klingberg's game.
"I knew Rick could get it sorted out with Klinger. I just felt like Klinger's such a talent and Rick has a term, 'You've got to work really hard to keep it simple,' " the coach said. "That's what Klinger's doing. He's working really hard to keep it simple and it's making him an effective player.
"He's transitioning the puck really well, he's finding speed on the ice, he's making short little plays that get us out of trouble all the time. He's worked really hard at making his game less of a home run from the red line back, and then we don't tell him what to do from the red line in. he's on his own. He's a smart player. But by playing the way he is from the red line back, this is allowing him to be a better player from the red line in. so it's a good sign."
The change in Klingberg's style of play has not been lost on his teammates.
"He's special," Benn said. "He's a special player and important for this team -- very important. It's not only impressive what he's doing point-wise on the score sheet, but the kid can play defense, too. He's a leader of this team.
"I think he's made big steps this year, we're just seeing a glimpse of what he can do. But he's a special guy to be around and fun to play with."

4. Hanzal's status up in air after departing with injury

Martin Hanzal, already plagued by myriad injuries this season, left Saturday's game with a lower-body injury in the second period and did not return. He played 8:32.
"He had a little bit of a muscle pull and we just we opted to yard him out. It's day-to-day, and (I'm) sure we'll be fine for the game, so we'll go from there," Hitchcock said.
Rookie Dillon Heatherington also left the game late in the second period after getting clocked in his first NHL fight by Jordan Nolan, a scrap that left the 22-year-old bloodied. He did return for the third period and, in fact, came to Benn's defense after the captain was on the receiving end of a late hit by Buffalo's Justin Falk.

5. Lehtonen (quietly) solid

So, this game was never really in doubt, but let's acknowledged that Kari Lehtonen continues to provide the kind of pivotal backup goaltending that is a must if the Stars are, A) going to make the playoffs, and B) potentially climb back into the top three in the Central Division, give themselves a chance at home-ice advantage or more.
This road trip started with a fine Lehtonen performance in the overtime win in Boston, and he was very good in this blowout, especially before it became a blowout when the Stars took a minor penalty late in the first period and then two more early in the second.
Overall, Lehtonen stopped 26 of 27 shots he faced. He's now 4-1 in his last five starts. The fact that he has been able to still provide quality starts when not playing regularly -- his start in Boston was his first in more than a month -- is a rare commodity.
It's clear that Hitchcock likes Lehtonen for his work on the road, and it's a given that he will play more as the second half of the season moves along.
"He's been stellar," Benn said. "He doesn't play too often anymore, but when he plays, he's sharp and on top of his game. I like the way he's playing. He looks confident in there and that's what we need.
"He's a big part of this team, as well. When he's in there, he gives us a chance to win. It's great to see."
This story was not subject to approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club. You can follow Scott on Twitter at @OvertimeScottB, and listen to his Burnside Chats podcast here.