First Shift \ud83c\udfd2<\/p>\n
As\u00a0Benn adds to his franchise record for games played (1,265) and approaches 1,000 points (currently 996), the thought is he\u2019s slowing down at age 37.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s not what the eye test says.<\/p>\n
Yes, Benn is playing the fewest minutes of his career at 12:20 a game \u2013 down from 13:17 last season \u2013 but he scored a big goal on Thursday and spent key minutes on a line with Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought Jamie has had good legs the last couple of games,\u201d Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. \u201cHe\u2019s skating really well.\u201d<\/p>\n Benn dedicated himself to losing weight over the summer, and Gulutzan said before the season that the 6-3 forward was as thin as he had ever seen him. That has allowed Benn to look lighter and play quicker this year.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019s been moving well,\u201d Johnston said on Thursday. \u201cObviously, a nice goal today. He looks good. He always looks good to me. He\u2019s obviously a huge part of our team.\u201d<\/p>\n Benn and fellow veteran\u00a0Seguin have been a big part of the Stars\u2019 attack since Seguin was acquired in 2013, and both have found a way to stay impactful.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s great,\u201d Seguin said. \u201cHe shows us the way with how hard he works.\u201d<\/p>\n Benn set up Seguin two games ago on an odd-man rush, so Seguin was happy to see Benn score off a nice pass from Rantanen on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s older\u2026.wiser,\u201d Seguin said. \u201cIt\u2019s great when he finds the back of the net. We all get excited.\u201d<\/p>\n That said, Benn has just four points (2 goals, 2 assists) in 13 games this season, so the age is showing. But with Dallas trying to survive with injuries to Duchene, Radek Faksa<\/a>, Oskar B\u00e4ck<\/a>\u00a0and, until recently, Sam Steel<\/a>, Benn is going to get moved up the lineup. Gulutzan said he has full confidence in putting Benn in those situations.<\/p>\n \u201cHe can still do it,\u201d Gulutzan said. \u201cWe just need everybody doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n