As the Stars have found success in recent weeks, two players who have been on the ice a great deal are Dan Hamhuis and Greg Pateryn.
With Marc Methot out of the lineup because of a knee injury, the two quiet veterans have stepped up and formed a solid second pair on defense. In fact, the duo on many nights is the first defense pair as far as minutes played is concerned. That's allowed John Klingberg and Esa Lindell to get better match-ups and not have to face the opposition's best players every night.
"There's a trust between that pair and the coach," Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said of Hamhuis and Pateryn.