Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski thinks he was helped by being a healthy scratch earlier this week.

The blue liner feels watching a game from up in the press box provided a better view of the action and made him realize some of the errors he had been making on the ice. The blue liner, for whom the Stars traded James Neal two seasons ago, also understands he needs to play better than he has of late. "There's another level to my game that I haven't gotten to yet," Goligoski said. "I've got to keep working out there to find it." Look for a short-term bump in production after the recent wake-up call.

Goligoski was a healthy scratch in the Stars last game but will be back in the lineup tonight as the Stars take on a hot Ducks team. He has 3 assists and is a +2 in 10 games this season.

Alex Goligoski will be a healthy scratch Wednesday night in Edmonton.

"Alex needs to get back to Alex's level. It's pretty cut and dried," coach Glen Gulutzan said. Goligoski has three assists and a plus-2 rating in 10 games, but the Stars expect more from him. He owns the second highest cap hit on the team this season, at $4.6 million, and agreed that he might be putting too much pressure on himself. "I think it's probably a little of that," he said. "I just have to relax and simplify my game, and just make the smart play."