Stars come together in season of change to be among best in West

Jim Nill had his doubts about the Dallas Stars.

After making the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, they missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2020-21.
They were the first wild card from the Western Conference last season and lost to the Calgary Flames in seven games in the Western Conference First Round.
"My biggest fear was -- about a year, year and a half ago -- were we going to have to take a dip?" the Stars general manager said in an interview at the NHL GM meetings last week.
Now the Stars are tied with the Minnesota Wild for first place in the Central Division, with two pivotal games on national television Thursday.
The Stars host the Pittsburgh Penguins (9 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, SNE, TVAS) after the Wild visit the Philadelphia Flyers (6:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SNE, SNP, SN NOW).
Dallas is one of five teams within four points atop the West. The Vegas Golden Knights are first with 94 points, the Los Angeles Kings second with 92. The Stars, Wild and Edmonton Oilers are tied for third with 90.
"We're in the mix," Nill said.
Dallas made major changes in the offseason. Peter DeBoer replaced Rick Bowness as coach; forward Alexander Radulov, defenseman John Klingberg and others left in free agency; and the Stars signed forward Mason Marchment and defenseman Colin Miller.
Nill was hopeful. He said when he spoke to the team before the season, he told everyone the West would be wide open.
"I said, 'It's going to be a battle,'" Nill said.
The biggest question was how the team was going to jell. Not only did the Stars have a new coach with a new system, they had three groups of players: veterans, up-and-comers and rookies.
How well would the veterans like defenseman Ryan Suter and forwards Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Joe Pavelski perform at this stage of their careers? Could goalie Jake Oettinger, defenseman Miro Heiskanen and forwards Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson take the next step? How would rookie defenseman Nils Lundkvist and rookie forward Wyatt Johnston fit?

"That's where you've got to give credit to the coaches and the team," Nill said. "They've come together. It's a pretty tight group."
DeBoer has a track record of making an impact in his first season. When he joined the New Jersey Devils in 2011-12 and the San Jose Sharks in 2015-16, each made the Stanley Cup Final. When he joined the Golden Knights in 2019-20, they made the Western Conference Final.
"He's put a good system in place for us," Nill said. "He's opened up our game a little bit, but we haven't lost our structure. I'm a big believer that to win, you've still got to have good structure. Everybody wants to score more. We all know that. I do too. But you've got to have good structure if you want to win long term in the playoffs. He's come in and done that."
The veterans have taken care of the rookies and been rejuvenated by them. Pavelski has given Johnston a place to live at his house; Benn has benefitted from him on the ice. Benn has 70 points (30 goals, 40 assists) in 71 games, after having 46 points (18 goals, 28 assists) in 52 games last season. Pavelski has 66 points (20 goals, 46 assists) in 71 games at age 38.
The up-and-comers have taken the next step. Oettinger is 30-10-11 with a 2.51 goals-against average, .917 save percentage and four shutouts. Heiskanen has 61 points (11 goals, 50 assists) in 68 games, and Hintz has 66 points (32 goals, 34 points). Robertson leads Dallas in goals (41), assists (48) and points (89).
Heiskanen, in particular, doesn't get enough love nationally. The 23-year-old is the key to an up-tempo system that gets the puck out of the defensive zone quickly, and he's tied for seventh among NHL defensemen in points with Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, the reigning winner of the Norris Trophy as the best NHL defenseman.
"He puts the points up, but what he does defensively and controlling pucks, he's one of the top guys in the League," Nill said. "A little bit hidden down in Dallas, probably. In other markets, he might be known more. But he plays the game the right way for a young guy."
Johnston leads NHL rookies in goals (21) and is tied for fourth in points (36) with Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson.
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The Stars added scoring depth before the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline by acquiring two forwards: Evgenii Dadonov from the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 26 and Max Domi from the Chicago Blackhawks on March 2.
Dadonov has nine points (three goals, six assists) in 12 games. Domi has three points (one goal, two assists) in nine games, but got off to a good start with those three points in his first four games.
The hope was that Domi would play with Seguin and Marchment. Seguin has missed the past six games and Marchment the past four, each with a lower-body injury. DeBoer said Tuesday that Seguin could return this week, and Marchment is projected to be back before the end of the regular season.
"Now with the added depth, we match up pretty well against other teams," Nill said. "If those top nine play the way they can -- and we've got a good fourth line that does a good job of playing their role the right way -- then we'll be in a good spot."
Instead of taking a dip, the Stars have improved across the board.
Last season, they ranked 21st in goals per game (2.84), 14th in goals against per game (2.98), 24th on the power play (22.4 percent) and 19th on the penalty kill (79 percent).
This season? They're seventh in goals per game (3.44), tied with the Avalanche for eighth in goals against per game (2.76), eighth on the power play (23.5 percent) and fourth on the PK (83.1).
"I think the most important part is, the team has figured out, yes, personal goals are important, but it's about getting the two points for the win," Nill said.
Bottom line in the big picture: It's still going to be a battle, but Dallas is back in it.