DALLAS _ This season has been about pushing buttons for the Stars.
In the tumult of a 1-7-1 beginning of the season, it was about pushing the correct motivational and strategic buttons for the coaching staff instead of management pushing the nuclear button. A dominant November gave way to an abrupt dismissal of Jim Montgomery, and the Stars were left pushing the panic button away. During a four-day Christmas break, it was about the reset button.
The Stars returned to form during Saturday night's 3-2 shootout win over Colorado, ending a string of subpar performances entering the break and restoring their spot in third place in the Central Division. Goaltender Ben Bishop made a season-high 41 saves as Tyler Seguin and Denis Gurianov scored in regulation before Alexander Radulov ended it in overtime.
"When you come back, it's almost like you go back to the basics," Bishop said. "You hit the reset button as far keeping it simple. For me, in practice yesterday, it was one of those things where it clicked and I was like 'All right, I feel good.' I'm glad it carried over today."
For Bishop in particular, Saturday's effort was a bounceback affair.
Bishop allowed 10 goals in his previous two starts, both blowout losses to Florida (7-4 on Dec. 20) and Calgary (5-1 on Sunday). It was a departure from his typical stalwart form that has led him to be a Vezina Trophy finalist three times in his career. Bishop's play in net is part of what allows the Stars to be a defense-first team: they don't have to score a lot of goals to win if Bishop is preventing them.
That's what made the pre-break struggles so concerning. Without a high-performing Bishop (and backup Anton Khudobin), the Stars' plans for a return trip to the postseason become perilous. Bishop is generally a pretty easy-going personality, and goaltenders have to be able to flush bad goals and bad games and bad stretches.
"I think it was a good break to have," Bishop said. "Things were going well for a long time and just a little slip in the road. Nothing to worry about, but it's nice not having to play through it. You can get away for those days instead of trying to work through it in games."
Bishop was not perfect on Saturday night. J.T. Compher deposited a rebound past him in the first period. Ian Cole beat Bishop between the legs in the second period. But the Stars can live with two hiccups if he provides 41 stops.
Bishop also stopped both Colorado attempts in the shootout, stoning both Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen on wildly different tries. MacKinnon came with speed and tried to sneak a backhand past Bishop, while Rantanen looped in from the right side to attempt a stuff on the far post.
Bishop said he had a pretty good idea what both players would do (based on television viewings, studying video and scouting reports from goaltending coach Jeff Reese), but still needed to react. For instance, Bishop knew that MacKinnon would carry the puck with speed on the shootout.
"Yeah, not going to give away all my secrets," Bishop said.
Bishop was also strong when the Stars needed him to be. He absorbed a Cale Makar shot up high during an Avalanche 5-on-3 and stopped Rantanen by going post to post on a rebound to his right side. The last time Bishop had as many saves was his 52-save effort in Game 7 of the second round against St. Louis last postseason.
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