Blues goalie Hannu Toivonen might have been the biggest factor in the Dallas Stars' rejuvenated offense Saturday night.

The St. Louis backup allowed four goals on 15 shots and was given an early boot from the game in the second period.

But Dallas also earned a lot of the momentum it gained in a 6-2 victory that pushed the team's winning streak to six games. By working for solid scoring chances and playing exquisite special teams, the Stars won a game they were supposed to win.

"To score three power-play goals and not give up any power-play goals, that's a good start to a game," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "We are getting contributions from a lot of people."

The Stars showed their depth against the Blues, as Mike Smith made his second consecutive start in goal, stopped 27 shots and earned his second win. Antti Miettinen scored his 11th and 12th goals of the season, establishing a career high, Brenden Morrow scored his team-high 24th goal, and Mike Ribiero broke a 12-game goal drought with his 23rd of the season.

All in all, it was the type of team effort that has allowed Dallas to stay atop of the Pacific Division at 34-20-5 (73 points).

The Stars have not lost since the All-Star break, they have tied their season-high winning streak, and they are one shy of the franchise record for a winning streak. And all of this with top-scoring defensemen Sergei Zubov (foot/groin) and Philippe Boucher (shoulder) out of the lineup.

"We're missing some pretty big [power play] players in Zubov and Bouch, so we have to simplify and just try to get the puck to the net," Ribeiro said.

The Stars finished with just 23 shots on goal overall, but they also had 13 shots that were blocked and 12 that missed the net. They took advantage of some holes in Toivonen's game, as Morrow scored on a hard-angle shot that squeezed inside the post, Miettinen pushed a slippery puck between the legs of the Blues goalie, and Jussi Jokinen popped one in off his paddle.

MILTON HINNANT / DMN

St Louis' Lee Stempriak (left) and Keith Tkachuk challenge the Dallas Stars' Antti Miettinen (center) and Mike Ribeiro.

Ribeiro probably had the cleanest goal of the game when he pounded a one-timer from the right circle on the power play. It was his only shot of the game, and he wanted to make it count.

"I've been wanting to score, so I was waiting for that," he said of a nice set-up from Stephane Robidas. "I was like, 'I'm not going to pass this one.'"

And it's that kind of balance that the power play needs. The Stars were 9-for-78 (11.5 percent) with the man advantage since Jan. 1 before going 3-for-4 on Saturday. They are well aware of what a good power play can mean. With the best penalty kill in the league and the goaltending and defensive team play spot on, a few extra goals could lead to a few more blowout wins. And that would be a nice change for a team that typically is biting its nails at game's end.

But Tippett said it wasn't all good. Ribeiro had a ghastly giveaway near the end of the second period that led to a Jamal Mayers goal that cut the Stars' lead to 4-2. It's that type of play that will have the Stars looking to get better before Phoenix comes to town for a Monday game.

"I don't like seeing a play like Ribeiro's – if that's a 2-2 game, that's a huge factor," Tippett said. "I don't want to be nit-picky, but if we want to be the team we want to be, those things have to be in place – and that's what we'll continue to strive for."