Forward progress: Stars' scoring surge could be a sign of things to come

The Stars have much work to do to get their forward group sorted out before the season opener Oct. 13. But if you wanted to get a good feeling about the scoring depth this team might have, then Tuesday's preseason game against Arizona was a nice boost.
Dallas took a 4-3 overtime victory at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma led by Mason Marchment's two goals, as well as two assists from Radek Faksa, and a goal and assist from Joel Kiviranta. The win puts the Stars 1-1-0 in preseason with a home contest against Minnesota waiting on Thursday.

Marchment was signed to a four-year, free-agent contract after tallying 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) in 54 games with Florida last season. Faksa saw his points per game drop to 0.25 last season (including just five goals in 77 games) after posting four seasons of double-digit goals earlier in his career. And Kiviranta followed up a season in which he had 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 26 games with just one goal in 56 games.
So you can see why the new coaching staff is excited about helping tweak their numbers.
"I've always admired the honesty of his game," coach Pete DeBoer said of Faksa. "He's a good pro. He's a big, heavy, hard, physical guy who does a lot of little things well, and you need those guys, especially during the stretch and come playoff time. For me, it's just getting his mindset around, `Your job isn't just to get off the ice even tonight against the best players.' We're going to put you in situations where we need you to tilt the ice and provide some offense for us."
Faksa is of a similar mindset. He was on that path in 2017-18 when he had 17 goals among 33 points in 79 games. However, he slowly settled into being more of a checking player, and last season turned into a net negative for him, as he was fourth worst on the team at minus-20.

The 28-year-old worked hard over the summer, and said his goal is to bring back a little more of that offense.
"For sure, I expect to have more offense this time and score more goals, because we were struggling last year," Faksa said. "I'm hoping for more offense."
Faksa played under coach Steve Spott when the two were in Kichenser in the Ontario Hockey League. Now Spott has come in as an assistant coach with DeBoer, and that familiarity could be a key to unlocking Faksa's offensive potential. Still, DeBoer said the key is Faksa.
"We're all going to try to set the table for him, but he's got to get himself back there," DeBoer said. "The way he's used is going to take that pressure off of him, and hopefully he'll come back to that (level of scoring) because need double-digit goals from a guy like that."
Playing with Marchment might be a blessing, as the two are both physical forwards who like to crash and bang, but who also have the skill to finish when they get to the net. If they're on a line with Gurianov, then the skill level goes even higher.
"This is a fresh start for all of those guys, and we need them all to find their best game again," DeBoer said.

Mix in some veterans who saw their totals slip last season in Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, and the Stars seem to have a lot of room for scoring improvement. And while the top line of Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski will likely go back together whenever Robertson is signed, there sure seems like more than enough bodies to create a scoring top nine.
"We need a lot out of those guys, it's not just one thing," DeBoer said, emphasizing the importance of growing and bonding through training camp. "We're going to ask for more from all four of our lines."
Dallas outshot the Coyotes on Tuesday, 35-22, with Marchment getting seven shots on goal, and Faksa and Kiviranta three apiece. That's a good sign for a group of players who will be battling for ice time and every opportunity once they get on the ice. In addition to all of the other names, Dallas has two 19-year-olds who would like to stick around in Wyatt Johnston and Logan Stankoven, as well as a group of forwards who are on the bubble between the NHL and AHL.
And that competition could help make everyone a little bit better.
"We want to be a four-line team that has the ability to get over the boards with any of those lines, not worry about matchups, tilt the ice and play in the other team's end and chip in some goals," DeBoer said. "Some of those lines are obviously going to chip in more than others."
But all need to chip in something.

Up next: Stars vs. Wild

Thursday, 7 p.m. CT
Where:American Airlines Center
TV:Bally Sports Southwest Extra
Radio:None
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.