Getting greasy: Adjustments to Tyler Seguin's game are paying off

Tyler Seguin chuckled when he was asked recently if he's had to change his scoring style.
"It's probably pretty obvious," he said with a grin.

Seguin's had several surgeries in the past five seasons and played just three games last season. So, as he's tried to come back from those surgeries, the explosive speed he used to display hasn't always been there. But after another "greasy" goal in Saturday's 2-1 win over San Jose, the 30-year-old forward said he's just doing what he has to do.
"You adjust," he said. "That's what you have to do."
Seguin's definitely done that. He had nine goals in the first 35 games of the season. He has 14 in the past 39. On many occasions, he's scored from within a few feet of the goal, including a drive to the net on Saturday that resulted in a nice jam play for his 23rd goal of the season.

"He has to get to the front of the net more, and he's been doing it," Stars coach Rick Bowness said. "You've got to score goals in different ways in this league. How many goals does Joe Pavelski have from around the net? Same with Robo Jason Robertson]. Look at
[Robo's power-play goal
last game around the net. If you want to score in this league, you have to get in the paint. You have to get your nose dirty, and you've got to get in there."
Seguin sort of knew that'd be the case when he was laid up for almost a year, recovering from his surgeries. He said he'd go to a small rink with a friend and then tried all sorts of new things with the puck. Because the rink was small, it led to a different mindset when it comes to scoring.

"A lot of the tips was actually just working on it with my buddy on an outdoor rink back when I was recovering from my surgery," Seguin said. "It was in this little, tiny rink and just working on everything I probably wouldn't usually because I had so much time to kill and couldn't really skate around much. So, he'd be shooting pucks at me and I'd be working on tips, and it's been working."
Now, when the goal slump starts, Seguin isn't as prone to just crank up the one-timer and hope for the best. Instead, he works hard to get into position and then works hard to find the puck and get his stick on it.
"I used to be an arrogant kid when I was in a slump," he said. "I'd just focus on my one-timer. Now, I think I've matured and you go work on deflections and work on getting to the net. You have to work, any way to improve your game. The biggest thing for me is going to those greasy areas that I haven't gotten to in the past."

Seguin said it's been a process. He said earlier in the season he had to learn to adjust and understand that he could score in different ways.
"Sometimes it gets frustrating because I can't play the same kind of game I've played in the past," he said. "I'm still trying to find the balance between muck and grinder and finding that more fluid style to my game that I've had."

In recent games, he's done just that. While his career is filled with highlight-reel goals, he said he doesn't mind that a good deal this year are maybe a little more mundane. With his team on the push to get a playoff spot and his line (with Jamie Benn and an assortment of wingers) playing a key role most nights, the result is the key.
"In this league," he said, "a goal is a goal."
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.