With encouragement, patience, Stars confident Gurianov's luck will turn

The education of Denis Gurianov is a living thing.
That was never more apparent than Tuesday and Wednesday.
The 23-year-old winger had a bad shift Tuesday against the Nashville Predators that led to an overtime game-winning goal for Eeli Tolvanen. It was a heart-wrenching moment for the young winger, who led the Stars in goal-scoring last year but has been struggling to put the puck in the net this year.

It was an incredibly disappointing night for the Stars, who played a heck of a game but somehow found a way to lose for the 10th time when the game has gone past regulation.
It was an evening fraught with negative emotion and potential regret.
Yet the Stars lined up and practiced Wednesday, Gurianov talked with coach Rick Bowness, and the team tried to learn from the experience.

"I watched today," Gurianov said of the video from Tuesday's loss. "That shift in overtime was tough to watch. I made a mistake and I'm going to learn from it and I'm going to grow and I'm going to move forward."
Bowness said Gurianov was very good Wednesday in studying the mistakes he made and how he can learn from them. While the Stars were in possession of the puck in the 3-on-3 overtime, Gurianov dumped it behind the Nashville net. It was a strategic mistake to start with, because you just don't do that in overtime.
"The big thing about overtime is that if there is nothing there, you just circle back, you buy time and you get fresh legs out there," Bowness said of keeping possession of the puck. "We emphasize that it's a tough change for the opposition, so if there's nothing there, then let's go back, because these guys can't change. So we just have to stay with it and keep emphasizing those key points."
Gurianov exacerbated the situation by losing coverage on Tolvanen, and that too was studied in the video session. Because Gurianov is young, and because he's being scaled up while Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov battle injuries, Bowness said the Stars have to be smart.
"A kid like Denis, we know he's young and we just have to keep being patient with him," Bowness said. "If the same mistakes are happening over and over and over again, then you've got an issue. We're not seeing that."
What they are seeing is that Gurianov is getting frustrated by his lack of scoring. After leading the Stars with 20 goals last season and finishing second in the playoffs with nine goals, Gurianov is in a big slump this season. He started with four goals and five assists for nine points in the first eight games, but has since scored two goals in the next 25 games.

That can get in your head.
"He is hard on himself, so when you're dealing with a kid like Denis, your words are important, but also the tone of your words are important," Bowness said. "I had a good talk with him today, just keep encouraging him."
Gurianov said the talks and video sessions are encouraging.
"He's just trying to get me to be a better hockey player, and not just me, but everybody," Gurianov said. "He made good points on video on what can do better, offensive zone, defensive zone, neutral zone."
Gurianov said he has been dealing with the mental aspects of the slump during the season. He has ridden the roller coaster in development, going up and down between the NHL and AHL, so he's familiar with the challenges.
"After (the) game, I can call my family and friends," he said. "And then next day when I come to rink, the boys help me and talk about shifts where I can get better or when I make mistakes. And coaches help me, too."

So what's the answer? Well, trust in his talent and try to make the simplest play possible.
"Simplify," said Bowness. "He's a young player. The mistake he made last night, he knows it. He'll learn from it. You just have to keep encouraging him, and you have to keep working with him on the deficiencies of his game that are holding him back a little bit -- his play without the puck still has to get a lot better. Because when you're not scoring and you're hurting the team defensively, then that's an issue."
In a perfect world, the simple play will lead not only to better defensive play, but also to more scoring. Fellow rookie Jason Robertson had many of the same issues earlier in the season, but as he gained confidence defensively, his play-making has improved. Now, he gets top minutes late in games and in overtime because he has earned them.
"Where he was in training camp to where he is now … I mean, he was a healthy scratch there," Bowness said of Robertson. "We had a lot of work to do with Jason in terms of his play without the puck, but he's learning and he's made huge progress. We're playing these young guys, and they're going to make mistakes, but they're going to get better because of them. It costs us, but you have to play them and you have to give them an opportunity to grow, and that's what we're going to continue to do."
So Gurianov's education will roll along with each passing game.
"He had four quality chances last night that didn't go in," Bowness said. "Do we need him on the ice to create offense? Clearly. We'll continue to encourage him. As long as he's getting the offensive opportunities, we'll keep working with him on his play without the puck."

Stars at Predators

Thursday, 7 p.m. CT
Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.
TV:Bally Sports Southwest
Radio:The Ticket 96.7-FM, 1310-AM
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.