Heika’s Take: Various Stars shine bright on way to rout of Ducks

The Stars needed that.

After a run that has included a couple of nail-biters against the San Jose Sharks, Dallas on Friday was able to cruise to a 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center.

“I don’t think anyone was really happy with how that game felt even though we found a way to win,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said of a heroic comeback in a 7-6 win over San Jose on Tuesday. “I thought a much better start tonight, much more solid in all areas.”

Dallas scored in the second minute of the game and finished with a 36-27 advantage in shots on goal and a 63-54 edge in shot attempts. It also received great contributions throughout the lineup.

Not only did the lads in Victory Green get balanced minutes before heading to Los Angeles to take on the Kings Saturday, they also saw several players find their mojo once again. Roope Hintz had a goal and two assists after a run in which he had just three points in 10 games. Chris Tanev scored his first goal in a Stars sweater and just his second of the year. And Miro Heiskanen tallied his sixth assist in the past two games.

Oh yeah, and Mason Marchment ended a nine-game point drought, while Jamie Benn and Jason Robertson each tallied two points.

“There were a lot of guys who we needed to get a point,” DeBoer said. “[Matt\] Duchene had a point, Marchment had a goal. The power play I thought was really sharp, there were some good things that way.”

Dallas needed all of it. Jake Oettinger had a solid bounce back game and looked very good holding on in a hectic third period.

“He made a lot of tough saves look easy,” DeBoer said. “That wasn’t an easy game.”

The win pushes the Stars to 39-17-9 and keeps them in first in the Central Division. Dallas has won four straight and is 5-1-1 in its past seven games. That’s after maybe the worst hiccup of the season at 1-3-3. It’s a great message for the team as the schedule is lightening up in March and the trade deadline passed by on Friday with no further changes.

The Stars added Tanev, an important right-handed defenseman, and then stood pat. GM Jim Nill said he felt they got their No. 1 target in Tanev and that they didn’t want to lose more assets when there seems to be plenty of depth in the organization.

“We got the guy we wanted and then because of our organization and the players coming up, we’ve really got some internal options here,” Nill said.

The Stars also could get forwards Tyler Seguin (lower body injury) and Evgenii Dadonov (lower body injury) back before the playoffs, so the roster could become a lot more competitive. Coach Pete DeBoer decided to scratch forward Craig Smith on Friday and play seven defensemen, which worked out well.

There seems to be a lot of answers right now for whatever questions may pop up.

Tanev started the game with a bang against the Ducks as a shot from the point deflected in for a 1-0 lead just past the one minute mark. Then, Hintz scored on a power play and Radek Faksa popped in a perfect pass from Sam Steel for a 3-0 lead in the first period.

Tanev has been with the team for just two games, but he has already made an impression.

“The goal is a bonus,” DeBoer said. “I like what I see. I think he adds some great things to our group. He’s got great feet, he can skate the puck out of trouble, he can also move it. He’s hard to play against. He’s a great add to our group.”

And he’s the only add for the group. Because Seguin and Dadonov can return, and rookie Logan Stankoven has grabbed a spot in the lineup, Nill said he felt good about his entire group.

“We’ve got internal options where we don't have to go out and use assets,” Nill said of the draft equity cost it would take to grab a rental. “I think our four lines can match up with any four lines in the league. I think our defense can match up with any defense in the league, and I think our goaltending can match up. Now we’ve got to go do it.”

If Friday’s game was any indication, the future looks bright.

The forwards all juggled around and found chemistry on different lines, and the seven D-men mixed and matched.

“We’ve got a roster here of guys and we want to keep everyone involved if we can,” DeBoer said of giving Nils Lundkvist some minutes. “But it’s not something we’re looking to do every night.”

And that is the beauty of the team. On Saturday, they could try a different strategy and get different results from different players.

“I think we have a great group of guys here,” Heiskanen said. “There’s going to be enough for us to fully go for it.”

And now that the trade deadline is over, that’s just one more reason to be confident in where they are.

“Obviously, we watch it on our phone with friends and family texting you,” Faksa said of the uncertainty that comes before the trade deadline. “Obviously, we wish to stay here, because we have a really good team, and we have a chance to compete for a Stanley Cup.”

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.