Stars defensemen will play a key role in keeping playoff hopes alive

If the Stars are going to navigate this difficult seven-game road trip and surge ahead of Nashville to grab the final playoff spot out of the Central Division, then one of the most consistent group of defensemen in the NHL will have to play a big role.

Dallas blueliners last year combined for 67 points in 27 playoff games. That's the second most in the history of the NHL to the uber talented 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers, who had 77. They currently rank second in goals by defensemen at 28 and first in percentage of team goals scored by defensemen at 20.3 percent.
For a group that also sits second in fewest shots on goal against at 26.9 per game and sixth in goals-against average at 2.51, that's a pretty good trick.

"This is a solid group with a little bit of everything back there," said Stars coach Rick Bowness. "They have physicality, we've talked since last year about the importance of what they add on offense. This is as good a group as I've coached - good people, good competitors, good battle."
A little context when Bowness says this is as good a group as he's ever coached. The 66-year-old has been on NHL benches since 1984 and helped the Vancouver Canucks (2011) and Tampa Bay Lightning (2015) get to the Stanley Cup Final. He did the same thing with the Stars last season.
Assistant coach John Stevens has coached the likes of Chris Pronger in Philadelphia and Drew Doughty in Los Angeles and had similar kind words to say about his current crew.
"This is an excellent, excellent defensive corps here," Stevens said. "I had the luxury way back in Philadelphia where I had Pronger and (Kimmo) Timonen on the team. And then the group in LA, I've always said when I came here that the defense reminds me of the defense in LA where we had veteran guys who had size and were physical and we had some really elite puck movers. We certainly have that here."
That group in Los Angeles won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014.

Dallas's top four are Miro Heiskanen, John Klingberg, Esa Lindell and Jamie Oleksiak. The bottom pair is a blend of Andrej Sekera, Joel Hanley and Sami Vatanen. The depth goes beyond that with Mark Pysyk and Taylor Fedun ready if needed. Stevens said the mix of styles helps create a group that can both score and defend.
Heiskanen and Klingberg are the skilled players and each has seven goals this season. Oleksiak and Lindell are more defensive minded players, but each has five goals.
"I think Oleksiak has really established himself as a top-four defenseman in the league," Stevens said. "I think Miro and Johnny are elite puck movers, and Esa is a blend. I think he makes more plays than you give him credit for, and I think he's capable of playing against the top players in the world and shutting them down, We certainly like the mix in our back end."

With the Stars struggling to score last season, the coaching staff took advantage of the pause caused by the COVID pandemic to restructure the team's style. They pushed the defensemen to take more chances, and that helped drive offense in the playoffs. Heiskanen led the Stars in scoring in the post-season with 26 points in 27 games, while Klingberg was second with 21 points in 26 games.
It was an important step for the entire team.
"I definitely think it helped get everyone involved," Bowness said. "I think you need that push from the defensemen, and then you need the forwards to help out. It creates a connection between the defensemen and the forwards, and I think we're at our best when we have that connection."
The Stars' forwards are leading more in scoring this season, but they say a lot of that is because the defensemen are creating space and fueling movement into the offensive zone.

"They're just a confident group that works well together," said forward Joe Pavelski who leads the Stars with 44 points in 49 games. "They skate really well and see the ice well, and it's nice as forwards to get the puck in a good position with good speed."
It's also nice when the goalies get help from the blueline. During their most recent 8-2-2 stretch, the Stars have allowed just 25.1 shots against per game.
"We have a defense that's very passionate about keeping the puck out of our net, but we also have a defense that can really help us by activating into the rush and activating into the O zone," Stevens said. "I think what you have seen in our team is the ability to be involved in all three zones. We have to count on our defense for secondary offense, and that's not a bad thing. That's just who we are. We want to play that way."
In fact, they have to play that way if they want to make the needed push to get into the playoffs.
"With this core, it's the backbone of our team," Bowness said. "We just need them to play their game. When we get the balance and they're reading the game right, that group is rock solid."
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, and listen to his podcast.