Dallas Stars Quotables From Monday’s Practice In Toronto

The Dallas Stars are preparing for their matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night. After losing their last two following one of the hottest winning streaks they have had all season, they are looking for a bounce-back and a clean slate to start up December, hopefully one that will get them back on track before all hope is presumably lost.

Here are a couple of quotes from Lindy Ruff after Monday morning’s practice, per Mike Heika:

Is losing leads caused by a lack of confidence?

“I’ve broke every game down, and if it was one thing, I could tell you what it was, but it’s been a number of different things. Sometimes it’s a tough goal that goes in, sometimes it’s a player falling down at a tough time. There have been periods when we played great and given up the lead. So it’s not one thing.”

How do you rank Tyler Seguin among the scorers you have coached?

“His shot is as good as there is in this league, his release is as good as there is. His skating is dynamic. When his legs are moving, he’s as fast as there is in this league. And I think the combination of him and Jamie (Benn), that relationship makes him even more dangerous.”

Lots of energy today at practice, what was the mood?

“I called it a system reset. We rebooted. I actually showed some of our training camp videos and I said if we want to remain consistent, we have to do things consistently…and we haven’t. If we do them well, we’re a good team. I referenced last year _ 80 percent of those guys in the room had career years playing the way we need to play. I went through all of that. It was not about showing what happened last game, but showing how we need to play. I’ve gone to leaders of the group and said, ‘It starts with you guys. You guys have to do the right things on a consistent basis, so that everyone follows you guys.’”

Is this a crossroads in the season?

“It really is at a time where we have to play consistent hockey. If you play consistent hockey and do the little things right, you’ll win your share of games. You’re still going to lose some, but we need to find a really consistent game that will push up to standards.”

What have you seen in Ales Hemsky’s game?

“He’s had some great opportunities, and he’s gotten pretty down on himself when he’s missed those opportunities. I’m just trying to get him to play more our game, and I think lately he has been doing a better job of that.”

Could it help putting him with Benn and Seguin?

“I think so. The last time they were together, he had some great opportunities. Again, I thought he got too caught up in the fact he didn’t finish. I think if he does the right things and he’s with those guys, the finish will be there.”

How does Jason Spezza like Dallas?

“It’s still an adjustment for him. There has been a little bit of a roller coaster ride for him. There’s been a lot of good, there’s been some bad, and I think that’s to be expected.”

Is this team having trouble dealing with the high expectations at the beginning of the season?

“I think some of our players have had a tough time with expectations. I think that weight has been heavy. Our leadership is, for the most part, young. You look at Benn, Seguin, they’re young players. I think as an underdog, there’s not a lot of pressure. You can keep grinding away and fly under the radar. I think we were instantly put on the radar, and I think some guys have had a tough time with that.”

Was Alex Goligoski a maintenance day or more than that?

“He took that shot last game.  We’ll see where he’s at tomorrow. It’s still tender, but hopefully he’ll be ready to go.”

How do you feel getting Roussel-Eakin-Garbutt back together?

“It’s a line that I can play against everybody. It’s a line that creates a lot of energy. It’s a line that can frustrate the heck out of the opposition. And the counter-punch is they’ve got enough goals on the sheet to warrant the ice time they get.”

Has it been difficult because you have broken up the line because of injuries or the suspension or just trying something different?

“It is, because we’ve spent time talking about ‘Should we put a piece here? Should we put a piece there? Eakin, Benn and Seguin have been good. Do we leave them there?’ But we’ve really played our best hockey when that line has been intact. The responsibility has to flip. We’ve got to put lines together and they’ve got to play well. It’s not me always putting somebody with somebody to get somebody going. Let’s put the ownership on the players. If you’re a good player, you help get the players you’re with going. That’s their responsibility.”

The Dallas Stars have shuffled their lines multiple times in the last few games, and are still looking for a perfect combo that works out. Hopefully they will be locked and loaded, ready to attack furiously tomorrow night against a rather curious but threatening Maple Leafs team.

Leave your comments and questions below, and as always, thanks for reading! Go Stars.