One of the constants that has remained through all of it has been Marty Turco, manning Dallas' net almost every night and giving the team a chance to win every game no matter what lineup plays in front of him.

The Dallas Stars sustained a wrath of injuries over the last two months. Mike Modano, Brenden Morrow, Steve Ott, Philippe Boucher, Matthew Barnaby, Jeff Halpern, Darryl Sydor, Sergei Zubov, Eric Lindros all missed time in that span.

number of games in a row," Turco said. "If you don't think about being tired, you won't be tired. If anything, I thrive on playing almost every night and I take each game and each day, one at a time. I'm the kind of guy that gets antsy when I'm not out there. I was actually able to get s

Turco has played in 20 consecutive games, dating back to December 16. He's started 19 of those contests and is a big reason why the Stars are in the thick of the playoff hunt and are still within striking distance of division rivals Anaheim and San Jose.

Dallas is 11-7-2 over their last 20 with Turco in the pipes. He has a 2.58 goals-against-average in that span. While the numbers aren't anything unbelievable, Turco has been the rock that the Stars have been able to count on. Good goaltending will give you a chance to win every night.


We've read this book before.

Turco played in a career-high 73 games in the 2003-04 season, as well as 68 last year. His career-long for consecutive games played is 32, set at this same time last season.

"I work out a lot in the gym on off-days and utilize our practices to work on things I need to do," Turco said. "Right now I am just focused on the next game and building a strong second half of the season."

Turco ranks tied-for-third in the NHL in wins with 25 and passed Ed Belfour in January as the Stars' all-time leader in victories. The words "winning" and "Turco" are synonymous, a big reason why Dallas coach Dave Tippett keeps going back to him.

"I've seen him play his best when he gets a lot of work," said Tippett. "He gets into a groove and can really make a difference for your hockey team. He likes to play and we try to keep an eye on the workload. You need your best players to be your best players and Marty certainly is one of them."

The Stars have the luxury of playing their next three games over a span of nine days, which will give Turco some valuable time to rest and have quality practice days.

STARGAZING

Did you know: The Stars are a perfect 6-0-0 when playing consecutive games vs. the same opponent on the road over the last two seasons. Dallas won consecutive games at Anaheim last season and beat Los Angeles twice earlier this season.

San Jose Success: The Stars have closed out their road series at San Jose for the regular season, going 3-1-0 at HP Pavillion. Dallas only has one more game at Anaheim, one game at Los Angeles and one game at Phoenix remaining on their divisional road schedule. The Stars will take care of all three of those games in one trip in late March.