Niklas Hagman sat at the morning skate and said his move to a scoring line with Mike Ribeiro would force him to look at his role a little differently.

"Of course, they expect you to score. You get more chances in those situations, you need to score," Hagman said matter-of-factly.

He played just as matter-of-factly, scoring two goals and leading the Stars to a 5-1 victory against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night at American Airlines Center.

Hagman now has four goals in four games and is in the top five in NHL goal-scoring. Not bad for a checking-line winger who had a career-best 17 goals last season.

Hagman created several scoring opportunities off the right wing – not his normal position – and finished with four shots on goal. His first scoring chance came when he found himself alone in front of Kings goalie Jason LaBarbera and lifted a backhand that LaBarbera snagged with his glove.

"I've got to admit the first one was tough, because I had the whole net open," Hagman said. "I managed to get it up a little, but it went right in his glove. It hurt for a while, but when I got the breakaway, I thought, 'I'm going to put it on the backhand and get it back ... the one he stole from me.' "

Hagman did just that. Seven minutes into the game, on the penalty kill, Hagman picked the pocket of Kings point man Kyle Calder. He raced in alone on LaBarbera and slipped a backhand between his pads for a 1-0 Stars lead.

"I went through about 25 different scenarios," Hagman joked of his thoughts during the play. "But after the blue line, I figured I would put it on my backhand and go five-hole."

Hagman followed with an even-strength goal at the 4:18 mark of the second period on a perfect feed from linemate Brenden Morrow. The duo combined with Ribeiro, who was making his season debut after hurting his ankle in training camp. That line finished with three goals and two assists.

Stars coach Dave Tippett said the return of Ribeiro, and the ability to reunite Mike Modano with Jussi Jokinen and Jere Lehtinen, were keys to the Stars' strong performance. Dallas bounced back from a 5-1 loss to Nashville, looking better in every area of the game.

"It's very important," Tippett said of the chemistry of the top two lines. "We're looking for consistency."

Ribeiro said he was happy with his one-goal, one assist performance. The Stars' leading scorer last season with 59 points, Ribeiro felt a little out of place at times in his first game in a month, but said his ankle was healthy.

"It felt good," Ribeiro said. "There were a few mental mistakes and turnovers, but I felt good physically."

He added playing with Morrow and Hagman was a good way to start.

"He's so fast that he keeps the defense on their heels," Ribeiro said of Hagman. "And he has a lot of skill, good hands, good shot."

With the Stars 2-2-0 and heading into back-to-back games against Calgary and Chicago on Friday and Saturday, the cry will come out to avoid the hot-and-cold performances that came with the first week of the season. For Hagman, though, the inner cry will be: Prepare to score goals.

"Every game now, I'm going to get a couple of good chances, and I've got to be ready to bury them," Hagman said. "It doesn't come as a surprise now. Ribs makes good passes, so mentally, you've got to be ready."