Dallas Stars Before Matt Duchene joined the Sweet Spot on Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 The Ticket (KTCK-AM) to discuss the team’s six-goal opening period in Pittsburgh, Central Division rival Winnipeg’s historic 15-1 start to the season, and more.

Below are highlights from the interview, lightly edited for clarity.

Looks like you let out some frustration by dominating the Cowboys with seven goals, including six in the first period.

Matt Duchene: Poor Cowboys, that’s a ricochet shot there. I don’t think I’ve ever been on the right side of a 6-0 first half before. I don’t know if I was on the wrong side either. I think, probably 5-0 before. But I don’t know about 6-0. I mean, we haven’t scored many goals yet. I think we started the year a bit like that last year as well. We’ve had a lot of guys who haven’t had the best luck with the puck in front of the net, and so it’s good to see pretty much everyone get a little something there. So obviously, we are disappointed by the game in Winnipeg. They are playing incredibly well at the moment. I think this game was as much about them playing well as us and I hope we can take some of the swagger, confidence and a little fun that we had in Pittsburgh, take it with us to the future and start playing a little more regularly. .

You come back into the room and you’re up 6-0 after the first period. What is the atmosphere like in the locker room during this first intermission? Is that easier to live with, or do you just want to try to score 24 goals in this match?

Duchene: A bit of both. I mean, you know the game is over, barring a senseless collapse, which we weren’t going to let happen. I think most importantly, we’re definitely in a bit of a lighter mood. But at the same time, you want to maintain your habits. I think at one point I said, “Guys, we need to make sure we do the same things we originally did and be really good in front of Jake (Oettinger).” It would have been really nice to get him a shutout. You start looking for small victories in the game like that, don’t you? Like you start looking for little things to work on, like the power play or just offensive habits. Our offensive game, like I said, has been a little flat and we wanted to continue to feel good in that aspect. We could have scored a few more. I think we did a good job. We played well throughout the match. The last two periods were also very good periods. I think we dominated them in those two periods as well. So I think the most important thing in a game like that is you try to find little ways to improve, regardless of the score. This is the situation we found ourselves in.

Not that it would happen, but Pittsburgh scored a goal in the second period. Is there a thought like, “Oh my God, we don’t want to collapse here because that would be historic”?

Duchene: I think if you’re four points ahead, you still think about it. But we were ahead by six. They’re really flat right now. This team, they made a trade the next day, they have their ups and downs. So we knew it was over. You never know in the playoffs, I guess. I think you just need to focus on your next shift. I think you don’t get paranoid about something like that unless you start falling apart.

So you mentioned Winnipeg a few minutes ago. They are 15-1 to start the year. I don’t think there’s ever been an NHL team to do that. Obviously, they’re part of your division, and are you looking at them as sort of a measuring stick at this point, or is it still too early to look at them in that light?

Duchene: I think whoever the best team in the league is when you play them, that’s absolutely the measuring stick. What’s special about them right now is that their energy is skyrocketing. I think the pace they play, the way they execute, their swagger, their power play is almost 50%, for God’s sake. They feel it. I think when you see the little things that they do to win games, I really think of something watching them, for our team and where we need to get to, and they could, I’ll be honest with you, they might have already sewn up the division. We’re playing maybe second place now thanks to them leaving, and obviously we’re going to play them three more times and they’re four-point games. Yes, they set an NHL record and they deserve it. They have a big defenseman who moves the puck to their forwards very well, and they have depth in their forward group and skills, and they have one of the best goalies in the league, probably the best goalie of the league right now. He’s probably at the highest level with what he’s done so far. They are absolutely the bar right now.

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