Tippett put Brad Richards on the right wing with Mike Modano at center and Brenden Morrow at left wing. There was a message behind the juggling.

"Put the onus on your best players," Tippett said of the reasoning behind the changes. "We put our best players in a position to have an impact on the game and they did."

And Tippett said the reason behind their success was that they worked hard.

"For our team to be successful - and we can have all the skill in the world - but we have to check well. And that was the difference in the game tonight," said Tippett. "Tonight we checked well and that started with our top players.

"Last night we didn't check very well and didn't get the opportunities we did tonight. Tonight, we checked well and that started with our top players. That created opportunities and we capitalized. That's a good lesson for our team."

That top trio accounted for two goals. Modano and Richards assisted on a Stephane Robidas goal to make it a 2-0 game early in the first and Modano and Morrow set up Richards' first goal as a Star that made it 3-0 in the second.

"Obviously putting that line together put the pressure on us to perform," said Richards, who said he if he was going to play the wing he prefers to play on the right side.

"If I do play wing I prefer the off side because I go down that wing a lot as a centerman," Richards, a left shot, said. "I just see the ice better. Those two guys are smart players and they both bring something a little different to the line. It worked out good."

Tippett also inserted Krys Barch and Joel Lundqvist back in the lineup and put them on a line with Stu Barnes. That trio started the game, set the tone for the night on the first shift and then Barnes scored the first goal of the game just as the Stars' first power play was expiring.

The Stars were smothering as far as limiting the Avalanche many quality chances. Colorado had just one shot in the first period and that one was added after the period was over. The scoreboard showed zero when the two teams were skating off the ice after the first 20 minutes. Avs defenseman Scott Hannan got credit for a shot with 23 seconds remaining in the period. For the game Colorado had 19 shots and not many quality chances.

After getting knocked around a bit in Saturday's 3-1 loss in Denver, the Stars responded Sunday night in Dallas. Trevor Daley went after Kurt Sauer, who had nailed Richards with a hard hit. After Steve Ott hammered Jordan Leopold with a hard hit in the corner, Avs defenseman Ruslan Salei, who had dumped Mike Modano the day before, challenged Ott. The Stars forward responded by pounding Salei, who was injured in the fight. Leopold was injured by Ott's hit, leaving Colorado with just four defensemen for a majority of the game.

"In [Saturday's] game we had three guys laid out on the ice and no response," said Tippett. "Tonight we had response all over the place. That's about the desperation you need."

Said Robidas: "That's what we talked about in the meeting this morning. We want to be perceived as a team that plays hard, blocks shots, hits and does whatever it takes to win."

The Stars did that on this night. That was something that was lacking at times in their last three games, all losses.

"The way we played was relentless,'' said goalie Marty Turco, who stopped 19 shots for his third shutout of the season. "We're going to need more of the same."

With a solid win under their belt and a line of Morrow, Modano and Richards looking good in its first outing, Tippett was asked about the possibility of keeping Modano and Richards together as a pair.

"Just like the Chicago game I wouldn't get all giddy," he said. "It's one game at a time, but it's a good lesson for our team for how hard we have to compete to be successful."

Stars coach Dave Tippett said Niskanen will be ready to go for Thursday's game in Detroit.

"He'll be a player Thursday. He was close today, but we just didn't want to take a chance," Tippett said. "The same foot has been sore and has been bothering him. He probably could have played tonight."