Heika's Take: With every win, the Stars' confidence grows

DALLAS --The two bookends to the Stars' 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche Friday night were particularly illuminating.
On one hand, you had 37-year-old forward Joe Pavelski scoring his 399th and 400th regular season goals of his NHL career in the span of 19 seconds in the first period - a pretty special moment in a run that started in 2006.

On the other hand, you had 22-year-old netminder Jake Oettinger pulled from the game and sent into concussion protocol in the second period, only to return to stop 19 of 20 shots in the third period. It was, of course, a new experience for Oettinger.
Which just goes to show, you have to be ready for anything in this job.
"It's all part of being a pro, all part of playing in this league," said Stars head coach Rick Bowness. "Whatever comes your way, you just adjust."

The Stars have been riding a roller coaster for much of this season, alternating between incredible bouts of self-doubt and invigorating moments of confident fun. So as they start to hit their stride, getting reminders of the mercurial temperament of the National Hockey League can actually be a calming thing.
Dallas now has won five of its past six games, including huge victories against offensive powerhouses Edmonton and Colorado. It sits 9-7-2 and is back within view of a playoff spot with games in hand. The Avalanche (10-6-1) came into Friday's game with the top scoring average in the league at 4.06 goals per game and were on a six-game winning streak.
The Stars dominated early play, grabbed a 2-0 lead on Pavelski's twin markers, and then held on through a rocky third period. In the end, they found a way to play that's reassuring in that it really is a winning style of hockey.
Dallas has sandwiched home wins over the Flyers, Red Wings, Blues, Oilers and Avalanche around a horrifying 7-2 loss at Minnesota. While the one loss seems to be an anomaly, it actually might have been a catalyst that helped create the big defensive performances.
"I don't want to say it was a wakeup call for us in Minnesota, but we'd been playing pretty good hockey. We had a couple good quality wins before that game, and a tough night there, and guys have just responded," Pavelski said. "You see those good teams where it gets everyone's attention and they're scoring a lot of goals and there has just been a big commitment with guys in shot lanes and goaltending has been good. It's five guys working well together, and the lines have settled in, and they have a little chemistry right now. Guys are working and that's kind of the result."

It's a good result, to be sure. Oettinger has recorded four of the wins and now has a 1.26 goals-against average and .959 save percentage for the season. That's an incredible flip for a team that was sitting in the 20s in both categories before Oettinger was called up. The fact that the 22-year-old has been a rock in net really does help create the opportunity to play "Stars hockey."
"I think Jake's confidence is really high," said Jason Robertson, who played in the AHL with Oettinger. "He's dialed in and everyone in the room trusts him, and I'm sure that gives him a lot of confidence."

He needed that strong will in the third period. After a collision at the net caused the NHL's concussion spotter to pull Oettinger from the game in the second period, he had to go through protocol and wait in the dressing room for the thumbs up to return. Once he did, he was under fire from the Avalanche, but he held on and credited his D with keeping chances to the outside.
"Obviously, I wanted to get back in there and try to close the door for our team in the third," Oettinger said. "They did a great job locking it down in the third. When you have a lead on home ice going into the third period, you have to shut it down, and we did a great job."
The previous five periods were almost perfect in their defensive presence against some of the best offensive players in the league, so there definitely is a template the team can repeat. What's more, the defense is helping lead to more offense.
Hintz has five goals and four assists in the 4-1-0 run. Robertson has three goals and four assists in that span. Pavelski has three goals and two assists. The top line is once again the top line, and now opponents have to game-plan for it.
"Tonight they were going really good," Bowness said. "Again, Robo (Robertson) missed a lot of time into camp and Roope too, so they're getting their chemistry back."
Pavelski continues to be a leader on the line. The veteran of 1,103 regular season games continues to play like he's 20-something, and that's inspiring for all. When he was honored as first start of the game for the historic 400th goal (he's just the 10th American-born player to hit that mark), his 11-year-old son Nate joined him on the bench.
That's something that aging well in this league provides for you.
"It was awesome. It was special," Pavelski said of the father-son moment. "He loves the game right now and is aware of what's going on most nights in the NHL. He's got his favorite players and it was pretty cool to see him there. We spent a lot of time playing in the backyard and getting on the ice once in a while with his team, and it's just fun to see these kids and how much they love the game. It's a good reminder some nights."
Meanwhile, 14 members of the Robertson family were in town for Thanksgiving and attended the game. So as much as all of this is a job, there also is an important support group surrounding each player. And while that family can be at home or in the dressing room, you need to find a way to weave it all together.
"I think it just goes to show how well we've been playing defensively," Oettinger said when asked about wins over the Oilers and Avalanche. "If you look at the scoring chances, I don't think either team has had a ton. Especially teams like that, it seems like they get a few freebies every game, they're that good. But we haven't given any of that, and the guys have done such a good job committing to defense. I think, if you look back two years ago when we went to the finals, we're playing like that team right now, and we just have to keep that going."

Because these lessons really can be pretty important.
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.