Facing the Hurricanes again Tuesday will be a great test for the Stars

Stars (21-15-12, 54 points) vs. Hurricanes (31-10-7, 69 points)

The Stars know the challenge is tough.
They play their last home game of the regular season Tuesday before heading off on a seven-game road trip to end the year. They play mostly against the top teams in the Central Division, teams against whom they have struggled this season.
That's why getting a 4-3 OT victory against Carolina was important Monday. Not only do the two points keep the Stars in the mix for the fourth and final playoff spot in the division, the performance gives Dallas confidence in playing against the Hurricanes, who they could meet in the first round of the postseason.
"These guys are at the top of our division," said Stars captain Jamie Benn after getting a goal and three assists in the win. "Heck of a hockey team over there, and we are going to see a lot of tough games to end the year here."
The Stars are 2-3-2 against Carolina this season. If they can win again on Tuesday, it sends a message not only to the Hurricanes but also to the Stars themselves.
"We've been right there against the team all year," said forward Joe Pavelski. "Finding the win, it's huge. We know some of the teams in the division we have to go against and right now we've got a lot of games coming up against these teams. We understand that we're a good team, as well, and we're believing that right now."
That's important for everyone. It's especially important for younger players. Rookie goalie Jake Oettinger got the win in overtime, and said he continues to gain confidence in games like this.
"I think, over the last couple weeks here, we've proven to everyone that we can play with anyone and I think teams definitely don't want to play us in the first round of the playoffs," Oettinger said. "So, I think we continue to prove that we can play with any team and we have to keep doing that to put ourselves in position down the stretch to make the playoffs."

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What to watch

Jason Robertson has had some very flashy plays this season. He also has had a few that were more grit than skill. On Monday, his two assists were remarkable in showing just how hard the rookie works to create offense.
On the first assist, Robertson took a pass from Benn on the power play and drove hard to the net. He ended up in a pile in the crease and that allowed Pavelski to bank in a rebound for the first goal of the game. Then, in overtime, Robertson had a long shift in the defensive zone, forced a turnover and then chugged up ice to set up Benn game-winner.
"Well, that's him," Stars coach Rick Bowness said of the game-winning assist. "He doesn't need a whole lot of room to make plays. He has great hands and great vision. There is a timing that comes with making those passes. If you don't have that sense, you're going to rush it, you're going to put it behind him, you're going to put it ahead of him, you're going to put it into the defender. There's a sense that you have and there is a calmness to your mental approach to that play. You're not all wound up trying to make the play and there is a calmness that has to overcome the player with the puck that he's able to find that soft area where he can make the pass. He has all of those attributes."
It's one of the reasons Robertson is gaining steam in the battle for the Calder Trophy. He now has 17 points (7 goals, 10 assists) in 15 games in the month of April and is second among all rookie scorers in the NHL.
"It was just a great little play under pressure," Pavelski said of the overtime assist. "Obviously, he's been doing that for a while."

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Lineup updates

Anton Khudobin is in net. The Stars have been going more with both goalies playing on back-to-back nights. Khudobin is coming off a 2-1 OT win at Detroit Saturday in which he stopped 16 of 17 shots.
He is 11-9-6 on the season with a 2.35 GAA and .910 save percentage.
The Stars have several game-time decisions. John Klingberg missed Monday's game with a lower body injury, while Roope Hintz and Andrew Cogliano had moments where they were banged up Monday. Much will be told during the pre-game warm-up.
Tyler Seguin continues to skate in the hopes he can return from off-season hip surgery. Bowness said Seguin and the training staff talk each day, and that much of the decision will depend on how Seguin is feeling.
"We talk to him every day to see how far he can push himself," Bowness said. "He's doing everything he can to get back playing. That being said, he's coming off a pretty serious operation and we're not going to rush him back. He will tell us when he's ready to play. He knows his body better than anyone, and we just can't pick a date and say, `OK, you're playing this date.' We're not going to do that."
Bowness said he feels Seguin will be ready to go when he steps back into the lineup.
"Our trainers, our strength and conditioning coaches, they do a great job with him," Bowness said. "He'll let us know when he's ready to play, he can't be that far off. All I can tell you is he is doing everything he can to get back on the ice and help this team play."

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Numbers

17-1-2

The Stars are 17-1-2 when leading after two periods. They had to go to overtime on Monday after taking a 3-2 lead into the third.

33

Hintz leads the three stars of the game race for home games this season. Hintz has 33 points to 25 for Pavelski and 24 for Khudobin and Benn.

58 percent

Carolina ranks second in the NHL in faceoff winning percentage at 54.0 percent, but Dallas won 58 percent of the draws (33-24) in Monday's game.

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He said it

"The puck is just going in the net. Earlier in the year we had some really good overtimes, and the puck didn't go in. We had a couple of bad ones. The one in Nashville, obviously, and then we took a penalty against Florida, but the rest of them the puck just didn't go in. So, the last couple is good to see."
- Bowness on the Stars winning back-to-back overtime games after going 1-6 in their first seven games decided in overtime.
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.