Dallas Stars coach Dave Tippett points to the start of the playoffs as the moment he saw center Brad Richards really starting to feel comfortable with his new team.

That shouldn't come as a surprise.

Richards always has shined in the playoffs. From youth leagues to junior hockey to helping the Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley Cup in 2004, Richards has been a winner at every level.

With the Stars in a 3-1 hole against the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference finals, Richards is one of the few players in Dallas' locker room who knows about the pressure of postseason hockey at its highest level.

"He's a guy who has been in this situation before. We want that. He's bringing the leadership that we need right now," Tippett said. "He's been very good for us in the playoffs. He draws on his playoff experience. He's had success with it."

Richards set an NHL record with seven game-winning goals en route to the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in the Lightning's 2004 Stanley Cup season.

Richards' postseason resume is part of the reason the Stars were willing to give up three players and take on his $7.8 million salary for the next three seasons when they traded for him Feb. 26.

"He has exceptional skill, world-class skill, similar to a Joe Sakic type of player," Stars center Steve Ott said of Richards, "and he brings that every day."

Richards took some personal days off right after being traded to find a place to live. He said he wanted to make sure he had everything in order before the playoffs started.

"It was part of the plan," Richards said. "For me, especially, your mind clear of everything is the best way to play. That's when you have fun."

Said Tippett: "And that's his experience in the playoffs, right there."

Richards, who had never been traded before, said it took a few weeks to get settled in the Dallas area, and even longer to feel like he fit in among his new teammates.

"I'm not going to lie to you. It's not the same as starting in September," Richards said. "It's starting to feel more natural around here."

Richards certainly has been huge for the Stars in the playoffs. He ranks third on the team with 13 postseason points and second with 10 assists.

This is Richards' fifth playoff appearance in his seven-year career. He has 21 goals and 39 assists in 61 career NHL playoff games. He had a goal in Game 3 against the Red Wings and assisted on Mike Modano's winning goal in Game 4 on Wednesday.

Richards talks about how much fun it is to be in the playoffs again, but it's hard to tell. He is all business. You won't find Richards participating in the Stars' customary pregame soccer volleyball game or, like Ott, bouncing around the locker room teasing his teammates.

"He's very intense," goalie Marty Turco said. "Part of the mystique of his career so far is geared toward that. He takes what he can do very seriously. He takes what we can do very seriously. That is his personality."

Backup goalie Johan Holmqvist, who came to Dallas from Tampa Bay in the Richards trade, said this is Richards' time to shine.

"He's a big-game player," Holmqvist said, "who enjoys playing in these kinds of games."