Exploring moves to bolster their offense, Stars management found a prolific goal-scorer. He dramatically changed the look of the team without affecting the salary cap and without a trade being made.

Jussi Jokinen was right there on the Dallas roster, No. 36 in your program.

But this Jokinen wasn't frustrated with his performance. He transformed into Very Jussi Jokinen, rattling Colorado's net with four goals in a 6-1 victory Friday night.

Jokinen entered the game with three goals in 17 games played. Against the Avs, he got four in about 6 minutes, 30 seconds of ice time.

"That's pretty efficient," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "I'm upset I didn't have him on the ice more."

Jokinen has gone through his share of struggles this season. About a week ago, he was a healthy scratch.

So he was as surprised as anybody about becoming the first Star to score four goals since Brett Hull in March 2001, against Anaheim. Jokinen is the 12th player in team history to post four goals.

"I had a good feeling about this game," said Jokinen, who scored his first goal at the 4:22 mark of the first period.

"That first goal gave me a lot of confidence. I loved hearing that song again, and then I just got on a roll. I had two good goals, two lucky bounces, and I'm just glad I could help us break this four-game home losing streak."

The crowd of 18,019 at American Airlines Center got a unique treat as their team put together its most complete game.

Many would have paid good cash to watch defenseman Sergei Zubov. He put on a magical puck-moving tour, assisting on four goals. That tied his career high and moved him within one assist of 600 for his career.

"People around here take him for granted," teammate Mike Modano said. "It's such an automatic, people expect it."

The Stars looked liked hockey's version of the Harlem Globetrotters. They displayed a relentless attack, pounding wave after wave on the Avalanche.

JOHN F. RHODES / DMN

Dallas Stars' Jussi Jokinen (center) celebrates after scoring a hat trick in the second period.

They zipped passes between defenders as if playing on the pond. They embarrassed a team with the third-best record in the Western Conference.

"There are bad games and there are awful games," Colorado coach Joel Quinneville said. "This one might have been worse than both of those. We had no energy. We got dominated in every aspect of the game."

After taking a 1-0 lead, the Stars put the game away with four goals in the second. The crowd rained hats down on Jokinen after he scored on the power play at 7:00, converting Zubov's pass on a backdoor play. Jokinen added another at 10:52.

"He had a great night," Tippett said. "He had some bounces and capitalized on his chances. We wanted to get some momentum, so it's great to see a performance like that. Now our big thing is to sustain this momentum."

Injury sidelines Norstrom: The Stars placed defenseman Mattias Norstrom on injured reserve and recalled defenseman Mark Fistric from the Iowa Stars, the club's AHL affiliate.

Norstrom suffered a small fracture to his orbital bone against San Jose on Nov. 7. He will be out at least two weeks.

That leaves the Stars with three inexperienced defensemen. Matt Niskanen, the Stars' first-round selection in the 2005 draft, made his NHL debut Oct. 3. Nicklas Grossman, recalled from Iowa on Nov. 8, has played 12 NHL games.

Fistric (6-3, 232) has one goal, one assist and 30 penalty minutes in 15 games with Iowa.

Co-GMs weigh strategy: Co-general managers Les Jackson and Brett Hull have been discussing the club's new direction. They want young, fast players, either from Iowa or through trades.

Hull, the third-leading goal scorer in NHL history, favors a wide-open style.

"It takes time," Hull said. "You can't just snap your fingers and go, 'Let's be the Russians.' You have to figure out the best way to make that happen, because that's what wins in the NHL right now."

Billboard winners announced: The Stars' billboard marketing campaign, which drew about 2,000 entries from fans, is over. Kelly Silander of Allen and David Michel of Dallas won four tickets on the glass to an upcoming game. They submitted the same slogan: "Guaranteed free checking." The billboard will be up in early December. Some other finalists: "Hip checks, not just for the elderly"; "Bring your 'eh' game"; "Our players walk on water."