GLENDALE, Ariz. – Jere Lehtinen doesn't ruminate about getting shut out in the playoffs last season.

Not at all.

"I know people want to talk about it, but I really don't think about it," Lehtinen said. "I really think about the next game and try to do the best I can do in that game. That's just the way I've always played."

And it's the way coach Dave Tippett wants Lehtinen to continue playing.

The 34-year-old winger has made a history of playing with alarming consistency – whether that means scoring or not.

"His attitude builds consistency in his game," Tippett said. "He recognizes what's important and what he has to do every game. Some games, opportunities will arise, and he'll take advantage and score. Other games, he might not get opportunities. But he works the same way every game hoping to get those opportunities."

That Lehtinen had no goals and no assists in a seven-game, first-round loss to the Canucks last season is a concern – especially when the Stars seem to need scoring from the wings to complement their puck-dishing center icemen.

But when you look at what Lehtinen does on a regular basis, and the fact he had three goals in five playoff games the year before, the fear of his scoring touch drying up doesn't seems so real.

"I think what you see in Lehts is that he's going to work and do the little things, and that's going to help the team no matter what," said captain Brenden Morrow, who has been a linemate of Lehtinen's this season. "You can tell when he's on our line because he makes things easier for everyone. We have the puck more, and we get more scoring opportunities."

The Stars also tend to give up fewer goals when Lehtinen is on the ice. A three-time Selke Trophy winner as best defensive forward in the league, Lehtinen allows his linemates the opportunity to take chances in the offensive zone, knowing that he will be there to help cover for them.

"Jere Lehtinen is an amazing talent," Brad Richards said in an interview on CBC radio earlier in the year. "I just didn't appreciate what he could do until I've seen him here up close. I played a couple games with him on my line, and he is just a quality, solid player."

Morrow said players are amazed at how many little things Lehtinen does. Tippett said Lehtinen is able to mesh with any player on the team and "fix" little problems that a line might be experiencing.

"He's involved in so many situations, that he can fit in with anybody," Tippett said "He doesn't make the highlight reel a lot, but he does a lot of the little things that help you win games. If you were to put together a coaching tape to teach players how to do the right thing, you'd have a lot of Jere Lehtinen plays on it.

"He's hard, he's honest, and he's always around the puck. He does a lot of good things, and there probably aren't a lot of people on the outside who recognize how many of those things he does."

Of course, scoring needs to be one of those things.

"I want to score, that's for sure," Lehtinen said. "But I can't think about it too much. The more I think about it, it seems the harder it is to do."