CALGARY, Alberta – Dallas Stars coach Dave Tippett likes to find forward pairs and let them marinate during the season.

He long has been a fan of Jere Lehtinen and Mike Modano playing on the same line, and this year has seen fit to keep together the combination of Brenden Morrow and Mike Ribeiro.

The latest duo to find the right chemistry is Steve Ott and Jeff Halpern. And while Tippett said there still is going to be some juggling that may push the two apart at times, he likes what he sees from the two players.

"They're both gritty players who seem to get the most out of each other," Tippett said. "They play hard separately, and that pushes them to put some very tough shifts out there on the ice."

Ott and Halpern have become fast friends and often pal around on the road, so when caught for an interview in a hotel lobby, they were quick to praise one another.

"He's a good offensive player," Halpern said of Ott. "He has very underappreciated hands and vision. He hasn't gotten a chance to shine offensively because he's been hurt so much."

Ott has battled a laundry list of injuries that included sports hernia surgery and a fractured ankle last season. He had a broken thumb at the beginning of this season.

"I think he could be a Masterton candidate," Halpern said of the award given to players who exemplify the characteristics of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

"No, I wouldn't be considered to have good sportsmanship," Ott said. "I'm a poor loser; I hate losing. Sometimes, I don't play the game fair. I cheat."

It's suggested that maybe sometimes Halpern also tries to cheat, albeit quietly in the face-off circle.

"Wow, he knows your game, eh?" Ott said.

"Well, if you're not cheating, you're not trying," Halpern countered with a sly smile, the chemistry clearly showing between the two.

"You look at them on face-offs alone, and it's clear they have something there," Tippett said. "You have a right-hander [Halpern] and a left-hander [Ott], and they seem to be able to cover every situation. If they want to try to cheat a little, they know they can."

And that has made their line tough to play against. They have spent time in a checking role with Modano for parts of the season and have more recently been featured with Loui Eriksson. They also have been one of the Stars' top penalty-killing pairs – and a key reason Dallas is ranked No.1 in the NHL in killing off penalties.

"I think you just start to get a feel for one another where you know where the other one is without looking," Ott said. "We have that going right now."

The results? Ott has a career-high eight goals, including four in the last seven games. Halpern has 23 points on the season, including four assists in the last seven games.

"Jeff is a solid veteran, and he's been in a lot of situations," Tippett said. "And when you look down and he has 10 goals and 23 points, those are big contributions for a checking-line player."

So expect the two forwards to get a few more shifts together this season. They are fast becoming the third of Tippett's go-to pairs.