Heika's Take: Loss to Blue Jackets keeps Stars consistently inconsistent

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The inconsistency of the Stars' play this season has been a bit of a constant.
Even in its three wins, Dallas has had to rally or hang on or otherwise overcome some self-created problems. So, when they struggled to put together a consistent effort against the Columbus Blue Jackets Monday, it was more disappointing than surprising.

In a game where John Klingberg came back into the lineup from a lower-body injury and the Stars were close to healthy, they lost a 4-1 game and were never really in contention.
"They just simply worked harder than us. That's pretty much it," Stars captain Jamie Benn said. "They had a lot of young guys over there that simply work, and we didn't want to match it tonight for some reason."

That's frustrating for a team that had two days between games and got yelled at by their coach on Sunday for not concentrating and getting shots on net. They got yelled at again Monday when Rick Bowness took a timeout in the second period. Dallas escaped some danger when Esa Lindell swept a puck off the goal line and a called goal was disallowed on review. However, Columbus forward Gregory Hofmann scored minutes later on a defensive breakdown, and the Stars were in a 2-0 hole and looking out of sorts.
"I could tell the passion and competitiveness just wasn't there," Bowness said of his decision to call the timeout. "There were big gaps between our forwards and our defense, and when that happens, you're playing very slow and you're usually getting outworked."
Klingberg said the plea was not just for harder play, but smarter play.
"Just get our heads in the game," Klingberg said of the timeout. "We got away with one, and then they scored a couple of shifts after. That doesn't have to happen. That's going to be on the boys to get our heads in the game."
That's been a common command this season. The Stars have had moments of great clarity and competitiveness, and then have been dunked into a cauldron of chaos. Once the teams starts hitting the quicksand, it's pretty difficult to get out.
"What we've learned is we haven't put together 60 minutes yet, so we need to find a way to do that," Benn said.
Dallas has been outscored 7-2 in second periods and outshot 77-59 when they have the long change. It's a sign that the other team is doing a better job of possessing the puck and making smart changes, but it's not limited to just the second period. The Stars are 4-4 in first-period goals but are getting outshot 58-35 in the opening 20 minutes.
"We haven't been creating a lot to start the year, and previous years, too," Klingberg said. "It's a good question. Everyone is trying. I think it comes down to controlling the puck during long stretches. If you're controlling the changes and you do all of that, you're going to play with the puck. A lot of times, you give it away and you chase the puck. If you keep it within the team, it's not always going to be a perfect place, but if you dump it, they're going to have possession of it.
"I think it comes down to having poise with the puck, make plays when it's there, and try to control the possession game," he added.

Poise has been inconsistent this season, but so has passion. Ironically, when the Stars are desperate and ramp things up, that's when they come up with their most poised plays. It's almost as if when they're not thinking as much, they can just let their game flow. They did that against the Kings on Friday and rallied to win. They tried to do that Monday in Columbus and had their best scoring chances.
"We kick it up in the second half, we got some really good looks in the third," Bowness said. "We need that, but it's just not earlier (that we need it), it's 60 minutes. We haven't done that yet. When we decide to play for 60 minutes, we'll get this thing going."
Tyler Seguin scored with the goalie pulled for his second goal in as many games, but the Stars have tallied just five 5-on-5 goals this season. They're among the worst in the league at even-strength scoring, just as they were last season and the season before. The return of Klingberg could help with that. They also could get Jason Robertson back from an upper-body injury on Wednesday, and that could help.
But the bottom line is the team has to be better as a group for an entire game.
"We haven't had a game yet where we said everyone was going," Bowness said. "We have 10 guys going and 10 guys not going, or we have 12 guys going and six guys not going. It's not 18 skaters on the same page yet."

So how do they get there? Well, it's a process that starts with a home game Wednesday against Vegas.
"It hasn't been the start we wanted, so we've got some things to work on," Klingberg said.
While Bowness added that it's only six games, it's a consistent picture of inconsistency.
"I know it's early, but until we decide to put our best game forward, which means preparation and playing with some passion and competitiveness, then this is what it's going to look like - inconsistent hockey," Bowness said.
Don't miss your chance to see the Stars battle the Vegas Golden Knights at American Airlines Center on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Get your tickets now!
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.