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Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin finding renewed success could power Stars’ scoring depth

Dallas’ two highest-paid players looked more like their old selves against the Kings.

FRISCO — Some of the themes from last year’s Stars team have carried over to this season.

Jake Oettinger, before his injury, picked right up as one of the league’s best goalies. Miro Heiskanen remains a game-changer anytime he’s on the ice. And the top line is still one of the best units in the league, as it’s combined for 15 goals and 34 points in the opening 10 games.

Based on Tuesday night’s 5-2 win over the Kings, the Stars could be looking at renewed results from their two highest paid players: Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin.

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Benn had two assists against Los Angeles, both primary ones on the power play, and drew a key hooking call that kicked off a three-goal, second-period outburst by the Stars. Seguin scored his third goal of the season by cutting to the middle of the ice and twisting a shot past Cal Petersen.

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They were welcome results for a team trying to shed its label as a one-line team the previous year.

Seguin ($9.85 million cap hit, $13 million salary) now has eight points in 10 games. Benn ($9.5 million cap hit, $6.5 million salary) has five assists in 10 games.

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First-year Stars coach Pete DeBoer said Tuesday night was Benn’s “best game since I’ve been here.”

“We want to keep building on that,” DeBoer said. “That looked like vintage Jamie Benn. He was fast and physical and all over the ice, winning pucks, creating stuff. I thought he was excellent.

“We need that. We’re asking him to do a lot. He’s playing with the two youngest kids on the team, or two of the younger kids on the team. I thought tonight he was exceptional.”

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Benn has had his moments this season, notably Tuesday’s performance and another two-assist game in Montreal on Oct. 22. Outside of that, it’s been inconsistent results from Benn, who has just one point at even-strength this season.

He’s been cast as a third-line winger, and has averaged a career-low 14:09 of ice time per game. Benn has played exclusively with teenager Wyatt Johnston, and 22-year-old Ty Dellandrea has joined them on the right wing. Given his age (33), it’s likely best where Benn slots in at this point in his career, but Tuesday is still a reminder that he has the ability to produce in the NHL — just maybe not as regularly.

“I think it comes down to hard work and compete,” Benn said. “I think every guy in this room came to play tonight, and that’s why we got a good team win.”

Just as there are worrying signs about Benn’s game (only one secondary assist at even-strength), there are promising ones, too. Benn has been one of the league’s unluckiest players this season, as he’s accumulated 2.6 expected goals, according to MoneyPuck, and hasn’t scored.

Only 10 other players have more than 2.6 goals scored below expected. Of players with at least 2.6 expected goals this season, only three (Florida’s Sam Reinhart, New Jersey’s Erik Haula and New York’s Mathew Barzal) have yet to score a goal year.

Since the start of the 2014 season, Benn has typically followed expected goals models. According to MoneyPuck’s model, Benn has 175.6 expected goals in that period. He has 176 actual goals.

For Seguin, his current pace would put him on pace for 65.6 points in an 82-game season, which would be his most since an 80-point season in 2018-19. Last year, Seguin scored 24 goals, but many weren’t his typical and skillful goal. Tuesday’s was.

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“That’s a Tyler Seguin prototypical goal: speed off the rush and he’s got that world-class shot that can beat a goalie from distance,” DeBoer said. “There’s not many guys that can do that.”

Seguin, 30, is playing his second season removed from hip and knee surgeries and was able to have a normal offseason for the first time in three years. He has centered the second line, and averaged 16:41 of ice time per game, the most among Stars forwards.

Briefly: DeBoer said Oettinger would not be with the Stars to open the three-game road trip, but “could join us at some point, depending on how the rehab goes.” Oettinger suffered a lower-body injury Saturday against the Rangers and will be re-evaluated next week, GM Jim Nill said Monday.

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