SAN JOSE, Calif. – The juggling of healthy scratches has been challenging for Krys Barch and Antti Miettinen this season, but the Stars forwards said they have been happy with how they have handled themselves.

Barch played Wednesday for the second game in a row after being scratched for seven consecutive games before that. Miettinen was a scratch for the second straight game – a rare occurrence in the regular season for the 27-year-old winger.

"It's tough on guys, so you need to make sure everyone knows what you are trying to accomplish as a team, and that you're still aware of where they are as players," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "It takes a lot of patience, and we have all sorts of conversations behind closed doors."

Tippett said Barch is fantastic at juggling the pressure to be ready to perform with the disappointment when your number isn't called. Barch, 27, said five seasons in the minors helped prepare him for tough times.

"I don't ever take it for granted that I'm here," he said of his 30 games at the NHL level. "I think every day here is great, and I want to be sure that I'm ready to play."

Still, he was a healthy scratch for a maximum of three consecutive games last season, so has this season (playing four of 15 games) been a blow to his confidence?

"Y'know, I guess it could be," he said. "But when you've taken the hard road here like I have, you learn how to create your own confidence."

Miettinen said he too has not lost confidence in his ability. Despite being scratched in four of the Stars' 15 games, he is averaging 13:08 in ice time and has 23 shots on goal.

"I'm almost really surprised that it hasn't hurt it at all," he said when asked about his confidence. "I feel very good about my game and I believe I can play well. When I'm in, I feel like I'm getting chances and getting close. Really, I feel like I can play even better whenever I get back in."

Besides, it doesn't really help to worry about what he can't control.

"If you start focusing too much on whether you are in or not, I think you hurt your own preparation and, in the end, I think you hurt the team," Miettinen said. "So you prepare as if you're going to play, and you just deal with it if you don't."

Turco unveils new mask: Marty Turco wore a new mask Wednesday, unveiling the "armored gargoyle." The gargoyle has been a part of Turco's mask since he began his pro career because gargoyles traditionally protect castles. The armor on his new gargoyle is gold, blending in with the Stars' color pattern. The brick wall that has been a tradition of past masks is also gold.

On the new mask, he took his name off of his chin and put a capital "D" on the forehead area. He also still has his daughters names – Hailey and Katelyn – weaved into the cracks in the brick wall.

"This is my new dark mask that I'll wear with the black uniforms, and I should be getting the light mask later," Turco said.

Briefly: Today will be the third time this season the Stars have played on back-to-back nights. Dallas lost the previous two times it played on the second night – at Nashville and at Columbus. The Stars last season were 13-3-1 on the second night of back-to-back games. ... The Stars entered Wednesday's game having not yielded a power-play goal in four straight games. ... D Trevor Daley is three games away from his 200th career game. ... Loui Eriksson and Antti Miettinen were healthy scratches for Dallas.