Cody Eakin hasn't had a lot of injuries in his NHL career, so the Stars center isn't used to starting his season in November.
Still, he said, he's following the game plan in order to be the best he can be as quickly as possible.
"I worked hard just to get to this point," said Eakin, who made his season debut in game 18 Thursday after recovering from a training camp knee injury. "You just have to do everything you're supposed to do and then take it step by step."
Eakin's return is important, as the Stars have gotten off to a slow start while missing as many as six forwards.