'He lets me play my style': Jamie Benn sets the tone with line combo

Truth be told, it's not easy to squeeze Jamie Benn into the center spot with the Stars' lineup.
But if we're being honest, it's worth the work.

While Stars head coach Rick Bowness said before the season his plan was to move Benn to center (and the team spent much of the preseason trying to figure out just how), the 32-year-old captain has logged most of his time at left wing this season. It just seemed to make sense to keep Benn with center Tyler Seguin and right wing Alexander Radulov, and that's how the lines were deployed most of the time.
But as the Stars struggled, and as the line started to look stale, Bowness decided to go back to the trio he used in preseason - Benn with Michael Raffl and Denis Gurianov. This past week, it's looked like a line that really needs to stick.
Benn was one of the few players who looked good in Minnesota on Thursday, and then the entire line was great Saturday in a 4-1 win against the St. Louis Blues. Benn had a goal and an assist in 18:16 and added three hits. While Raffl did his best work on the penalty kill with Roope Hintz, he also was a solid performer at even strength. And Gurianov is starting to play a consistent brand of hockey that is earning the trust of the coaching staff.
All in all, it's a pretty good sign.
"They're big and they're protecting the puck and they're generating offense," Bowness said.
"They're all physical," he added. "We tried to get everybody more involved physically tonight. We didn't like our physical play in Minnesota and the guys responded to that tonight and I thought everyone was involved physically."
Raffl has been a great add. The free agent who played most of his career in Philadelphia is currently logging 14:22 a game and has six points (two goals, four assists) in 16 games. He leads the team in penalties drawn, is fourth in hits, and is tied for fifth in takeaways. He's been a dependable addition who fits anywhere.
"That's what Michael does," Bowness said. "He's a reliable player and a veteran player and that's what we need from him."
Raffl is listed at 6-1, 205, Benn at 6-2, 210, and Gurianov at 6-3, 195. The line can throw its weight around, and Raffl credits Benn with being the leader on the line.
"We just try to keep it simple," he said. "That goes back to Benn], he wants to play like that. He's a really good player. I've played with good players before and he lets me play my style and he just jumps on pucks and is hard on the forecheck and is very responsible in our end."
Benn, who played a lot of center at the beginning of his NHL career, was switched back to the pivot last season when Seguin was out with an injury and Joe Pavelski started playing right wing. He had a strong finish to the year and had discussions with Bowness in the summer about sticking there. They worked together toward that goal in preseason, but Bowness then found it difficult to get the lines to work with Benn at center.
If Hintz, Seguin and Benn filled out the first three lines, that meant Radek Faksa had to play left wing or had to slide down to the fourth line. That didn't work well for Bowness, who had Faksa at 17:26 in average time on ice per game last season.
But when the team wasn't winning consistently and the coaching staff was searching for answers, they decided to try Benn at center again.
The last few games, Benn with Raffl and Gurianov has been a good fit, in part because Benn has played better, and in part because Gurianov finally seems to be clicking on a line.
"He's playing the right way right now," Raffl said. "He's got all of the tools to be a very elite player. He's going to get going on the scoresheet too very soon, I believe it."
Gurianov has two goals and three assists for five points in 15 games, so he definitely could improve those numbers, but he also is sixth on the team in shots on goal with 34, so he's getting his chances.
"His puck possession, he's doing a lot more with the puck," Bowness said of the improvements in Gurianov's game. "We want him to use his speed. He doesn't generate much cutting to the middle, he generates a lot more going to the outside or delaying. He's using his assets, his size, his strength and his speed."
One of the problems for the Stars early in the season was finding a place for Gurianov. With the top two lines loaded with skilled players - including Pavelski and Radulov on the right wing - there seemed no spot for Gurianov, so he played on a checking line with Faksa or Luke Glendening. By putting Gurianov with Benn and Raffl, they not only protect him and help him get better defensively, but they also allow him to create more offensively.
In a perfect world, the top line of Jason Robertson with Hintz and Pavelski is followed by the Benn line or a line with Seguin, Radulov and either Jacob Peterson or Joel Kiviranta. That could give the Stars some offensive balance and, possibly, an increase in scoring.
Of course, that's only on paper.
As we've seen throughout this season, getting the blueprint to lay flat on the ice is an onerous task. That said, they must keep trying.
"It's just all of us doing our part," Benn said.
Don't miss your chance to see the Stars continue their homestand this Tuesday on Hockey Fights Cancer Night against the Edmonton Oilers 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.