NASHVILLE, Tenn. _ The Stars were a puzzle their first two games, losing possession battles and struggling in the faceoff circle, so Stars coach Lindy Ruff decided to shake things up Tuesday.
But while shuffling lines and adding two new defensemen helped the cause in a 2-1 win over the Nashville Predators, the real key might have been a change in attitude.
"We made some changes, we asked for a better commitment to the way we need to play," Ruff said of a new look after a 6-5 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. "We were all disappointed after Colorado. Some of it was mentally being ready, some of it was physically being ready, and some of it was not being very smart. Tonight, I thought we had all three of those area covered."
Ruff said the Stars needed a structural change as well as a philosophical one. Not only did they need to shoot the puck more after averaging just 24 a game in the first two contests, they needed to drive harder toward the net and get into the tough areas of the ice. Dallas finished with a 37-28 advantage in shots on goal.
"For me, it's more of a focus of if we get people going to the net, the puck will go there," Ruff said before the game. "It's getting there first, because if we can get that done, we'll create the attempts. We've had too many looks where we're playing on the perimeter and passing outside. We've got to get back to Stars hockey, which is ramping up the attempts, looking for second opportunities, looking for scrums around the front of the net."
The Stars did just that and received a hard-working goal from the fourth line. Adam Cracknell won a physical puck battle behind the Predators' net and whipped a pass back to Johnny Oduya at the point. Oduya fired a shot on goal that Curtis McKenzie tipped in the slot. Cracknell then worked to the front of the net for a screen, and the puck went in off of him for his second goal of the season.
Cracknell and Lauri Korpikoski were added for depth this season, but both are exemplifying the style of play Ruff is seeking. Longtime Stars prospect McKenzie got into his first game this season, and he also helped that fourth line generate plenty of chances.
Nashville came right back and scored on the power play _ its fifth man advantage goal in just three games this season. A puck was worked around the perimeter, deflected off a Stars stick and landed right on the stick of Predators captain Mike Fisher alone in the slot. Fisher swept in his second goal of the season and the game was tied at 1-1 early in the second period.
Both Kari Lehtonen and Pekka Rinne were solid in net, but Lehtonen held strong during a hectic third period. He made 27 saves and came up with a win in his first start of the season.
But the real story was the fact the action stayed at the other end of the ice for much of the game.
"We set the tone when we got the number of shots we did," Ruff said of a 16-4 advantage in the first period. "If we play like that, we'll win a lot of hockey games."
Key games against division opponents that could help determine seeding at the end of the year.
"This year, right off the hop, we've got a lot of Central Division teams," Spezza said. "We saw two years ago when we had a bad record in your division, it's hard to play catch up. They all count."
Some more than others when you're trying to bounce back from a bad loss.
