Feels like home: Duchene’s persistence, personality contribute to Stars momentum

Matt Duchene feels at home in Dallas. If you couldn’t already tell, Tuesday night is a good reference point.

After giving up two goals to an aggressive Arizona Coyotes team to fall behind 3-2 late, the Stars were desperate for a spark. It was their fourth game in six nights that all included travel, and a rally seemed to be a tall task.

Not tall enough for the veteran. In his 990^th NHL game, Duchene took the reins and helped propel Dallas into comeback mode. Firstly, he recovered a loose puck deep in the defensive end and sent a beautiful stretch pass to a streaking Tyler Seguin for a breakaway goal to tie it with 3:20 remaining. As overtime began, the duo found themselves on a 2-on-1 and Duchene put home a feed from Seguin to seal the victory.

As the goal horn sounded and teammates swarmed Duchene by a backdrop of exuberant Stars fans, you could just sense it. The center, now in his fifth NHL stop, is comfortable with his new team.

Of course, he’ll be the first one to tell you he’s felt at home for a while now. Pretty much since he signed a one-year deal with the Stars on July 1 just a day after being bought out of the final three years of a deal with the Nashville Predators.

“It was everybody from the day that I signed,” Duchene said about the organization welcoming him and his family. “I knew a few of the guys. Not a ton, but from the second I got here the guys have been great.”

Duchene had a good relationship with Stars coaches Pete DeBoer, Steve Spott and Misha Donskov from his time with Team Canada. To make things even more fluid, moving from Tennessee to Texas hasn’t involved much of a culture shock. Mix it all together and perhaps it’s obvious why Duchene has fit in so nicely.

“It’s right up our alley,” Duchene said. “Everyone knows how much we loved living in Nashville and we’ve loved Dallas so far as well. On the ice, it takes some time to learn the systems. But from day one, just the atmosphere of what the guys bring in terms of the vibe and then the coaches, it’s a great culture and atmosphere. It’s been really easy to transport from one team to another.”

He’s made it known through his play in the first month. After going pointless in the first four games, Duchene broke through with a primary assist in Pittsburgh on Oct. 24. It turned into a 5-game point streak that helped create a surge by his line with Mason Marchment and Seguin. The trio was labeled in the preseason as a prime factor in helping Dallas become one of the deepest offensive teams in the NHL.

So far, they are exceeding expectations. The trio has combined for 11 goals at even strength, the most of any line on the team. Duchene has been a prime catalyst in helping the line generate success.

“I just wanted to build that belief as a line that we could be one of the best lines not just on the team, but in the League,” Duchene said. “I just felt with the skill set we all had and the chemistry we could build, it was something I talked about with those guys right when I got here. We’re such a deep team and other people are pushing us, and we want to push them. You want to keep going forward and try to improve on it.”

That determination has helped him post six goals and 13 points in 14 games this season. That’s tied for the fourth-most points through 14 games in a season in his 15-year career, which is impressive considering he’s doing it with a new team.

All 13 points have come in his last 10 games, which includes an active four-game goal streak with eight points. Three of those four goals have been game-winners, which is tied for second-most in the NHL. He’s in the team’s top 3 for goals and points, leads in plus/minus at plus-7 and is tied for second in faceoffs at 57.6 percent.

He’s also been used on the power play and penalty kill. The coaching staff trusts him in any situation, and he’s rewarding their trust with results.

“I’ve always been a Matt Duchene fan, but I’d be lying if I said I anticipated that he would be playing at this level this early for us,” DeBoer said on Tuesday. “Every time he steps on the ice, he wants the puck and he’s attacking and he’s dangerous. I can’t say enough about him. He’s been consistently our best player over the last two and a half weeks.”

Duchene is one of 16 players in the NHL with multiple point streaks of 4+ games this season. And while he continues to scribble his name all over the stat sheet, he’s finding ways to be a personable and committed teammate and leave an immediate impression.

“Dutchy is so chatty and so positive,” Seguin said on Sunday in Minnesota. “If you feel like you’re taking a rest in between a shift, he’s in your ear. He’s been a great addition to our line. We’ve been playing good hockey I feel like since game one this year.”

When asked about his personality, the 32-year-old laughed and owned up to it the way only a veteran can.

“I’m definitely a talker and an extrovert,” Duchene said. “I try to be very positive. Early in my career, I really struggled with the stresses of this career and the ups and downs. I rode that rollercoaster way too much. I’d be on top of the world one day and in the depths the next. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve tried to approach every day the same. I try to make people laugh and have a smile on my face. It’s just how God made me.”

He’s brought a positive mindset to a Stars team brimming with potential and confidence, and it has helped both get out to a surging start. At 11-3-1, Dallas boasts a top-5 record in the League. They are top-10 in goals for, goals against, penalty kill and team save percentage. They have built a four-game win streak and are preparing to welcome three of the NHL’s top seven clubs (Colorado, New York Rangers and Vegas) to American Airlines Center over the next week.

And if the energy in the building is anything like it was during the Stars’ overtime win on Tuesday, Duchene knows the team will have a significant boost in their corner.

“I had no feel for this fanbase at all and I’ve been blown away by the diehard following,” Duchene said. “My wife said to me the other day that we haven’t played anywhere that there’s been that diehard group of fans like here. The crowd is just incredible. You play a Tuesday night at home, a lot of the time early in the year, it’s a tough ticket even in good markets. Last night, it was jam-packed, loud and great. The fans have blown me away.”

In all fairness, he’s made it easy for fans to support him. From his offensive consistency, to his clutch moments and positive mindset, Duchene is making every shift count with his new team.

“It’s been really fun and I’m very blessed and lucky to be part of this team,” Duchene said.

The Stars are pretty lucky, too.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.