DALLAS – Winning the Stanley Cup as a rookie with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 taught Alex Goligoski about the playoff process.

He learned about the emotional side of the game, the consistency required and how to deal with the ebbs and flows of the postseason.

"It's not going to be easy, it's going to be hard — that's the first thing you learn," said Goligoski, a former Gopher who was named to the All-America team and was WCHA Defensive Player of the Year as a junior during the 2006-07 season. "You look at the grand scheme of everything, and you learn about consistency and not letting the bad moments get you too far down."

That championship also left an interesting taste in Goligoski's mouth. While he hoisted the Stanley Cup, he wasn't a full-time member of the team and only played in two playoff games.

"It was an unbelievable thing to be a part of," Goligoski said. "It was really my first taste of the NHL, and I'm not sure if you can really appreciate it right away."

Seven seasons later the Grand Rapids, Minn., native has taken those lessons to heart and is a key part of the Dallas Stars' playoff run that started with back-to-back victories in Dallas against the Wild, including a 2-1 win in Game 2 on Saturday.

"He's a guy that plays in every situation for us, most of the time makes the right reads. For his size, he's as strong on the puck as anybody we have back there," Dallas coach Lindy Ruff said. "He can get up ice and create situations we rely heavily on our defensemen to create, so he fits the way we want to play. He's a good, competitive guy. I like all aspects of his game, and he plays all aspects of our game."

On Saturday the Minnesota native played a team-high 24 minutes, 7 seconds for Dallas — including almost five minutes on the penalty kill — and blocked a team-high three shots.

Goligoski, 30, works with John Klingberg on the Stars' top pairing and has helped the 23-year-old Swede become one of the league's best offensive defenseman. Goligoski acts as a sounding board for Klingberg — they often discuss situations on the bench — and the duo has a style that meshes well for Dallas' high-flying offense.

"I think we both give each other that extra time [with the puck]," Klingberg said. "Everyone is talking about how I should play with a big stay-at-home defenseman. But, for me, I really enjoy playing with Goose because he's so good with the puck. We're both able to read off each other, make plays to each other and teammates too."

Klingberg said the idea that an offensive defenseman needs a stay-at-home partner is "so old school," and that Goligoski allows Dallas to posses the puck and control zone entries, like it has early in the series vs. the Wild.

And the Stars certainly aren't one for "old school" thinking. While the Wild has dumped and chased its way to a two-game series deficit, the Stars haven't been willing to give up the puck.

Even in a game where Dallas only scored twice, the Stars' ability to hem the Wild into their defensive zone effectively neutered any even-strength chances for the visitors.

The second half of this series will have a hometown feel for Goligoski when it reverts back to St. Paul for Games 3 and 4.

He is expecting a "good number" of friends and family members to make the three-hour drive from Grand Rapids to St. Paul, and he's looking forward to playing his first playoff game in his home state.

"It'll be fun, obviously a lot of family and friends will be there," Goligoski said. "It'll be a good chance to see some people and for them to see playoff hockey. I think it'll be a fun atmosphere."