First Shift: Stars look to sweep back-to-back against Maple Leafs

The Stars have been a very different team at home and on the road this year, and that could become an important difference as they play eight of 10 away from home coming out of the All-Star Break.

“It’s always good when you’re coming off a break and you get on the road, you kind of reconnect a bit,” said defenseman Jani Hakanpää. “It’s so much better coming back and you have a week long trip and spend some time together. I think that’s going to be good for us.”

Dallas started Tuesday with a 2-1 win in Buffalo and drove to Toronto for a game on Wednesday night. The Stars have been a solid road team, posting the best points percentage in the NHL at .708. They rank third on the penalty kill at 85.5 percent and are fourth in goals against at 2.56. While the home record (10th at .654) and penalty kill (16th at 80.0 percent) aren’t horrible, the GAA is. Dallas ranks 27th in home goals against at 3.46. That said, they are also second in home scoring at 4.12 goals per game.

“I think a lot of teams fall into the trap at home of trying to put on a show,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “You’ve got the home crowd, you want to get them into it and you want to score goals. A lot of times your wife and kids are there, so you’re trying to do a little extra. On the road, it’s a lot easier to simplify your game.”

Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen said the team is definitely feeling a good vibe on the road.

“I think we are maybe a little tighter and more disciplined on the road,” Heiskanen said. “I feel we don’t lose as many pucks, have as many turnovers. It’s not a big difference, but it’s important to have that discipline and we need to have that at home, too.”

Hakanpää said that being on the road coming out of the break can be a positive thing in setting parameters for play.

“We’ve been playing smart hockey on the road,” he said. “I think we manage the puck a lot better on the road. Maybe it’s more of a mindset, you’re on the road and you want to protect your own end maybe a little more. It’s hard to explain, maybe it’s something that just comes from inside of everybody.”

That could be a good thing. And with the Stars playing the likes of the Maple Leafs, Oilers, Bruins, Rangers and the Hurricanes (twice) in the month ahead, discipline will be a needed attribute.

“We’ve got a gauntlet of teams – some of the elite playoff teams in the league,” DeBoer said. “Every coach is looking to find another level down the stretch. I think this is the start of the stretch. I don’t think you wait until the 10-game mark. I think you want to see your game go to another level here over the next 10 or 15 games and then you’re fine-tuning near the end.”

And doing it on the road? That’s just fine with this team.

Key Numbers

35
Stars forward Tyler Seguin has 35 points (17 goals, 18 assists) in 35 career games against the Maple Leafs, including nine points in his past seven games in Toronto.

5-1-3
Stars goaltender Scott Wedgewood is 5-1-3 on the road this season with a .914 save percentage.

22.8
Toronto ranks fifth in the NHL in hits per game at 22.8. Dallas ranks last at 14.3.

He Said It

“I think Jason is one of those guys who has been underrated his entire career. I remember when he went to the OHL in the draft and he wasn’t a first-round pick. The next thing you know, he’s leading the league in scoring and dominating. The same thing in the NHL, he wasn’t a first-round pick and did the same thing. He’s a guy who has really embraced the role of people selling him short. I think he’s added layers to his game beyond scoring that you need to help you win. I think we saw that in the playoffs last year. His best series was against Vegas in the Conference Final, which for me is a great layer that he can produce at the toughest time against the best team. He’s a student of the game. He’s the last guy off the ice, he wants to stay out there and he wants to get better every day. Those are great things for a coach to have in a player.”

- Stars coach Pete DeBoer when asked about the progress of Jason Robertson from his junior days in the Ontario Hockey League until now

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

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.