Momentum is a powerful thing in hockey.

It can change in the middle of a shift, in the middle of a period or the middle of a game. And once you are on the positive side of it, you can ride it like a wave, making play after play with seemingly little effort.

But if you're trying to swim against that wave or simply can't get on top of it, the game is a bit of a battle, and nothing seems easy.

The Stars' start to the season has been a bit like the wave pool at Hurricane Harbor – there are times when the team is on top of the water and splashing around happily. But there are also times when it slips beneath the waves or gets battered against the walls.

"It's tough to build momentum," goalie Marty Turco said after a 3-2 loss to Phoenix on Saturday that followed a huge 3-2 win against San Jose a few nights earlier. "Things seem to happen a lot easier when you get on a roll. You don't feel like you're grinding it out. Some guys can get on a roll and carry a team, but that hasn't been the case so far."

The one player who can help the Stars get on a roll is Turco. The veteran goalie has produced impressive runs in his career and appears to be in the middle of a pretty good stretch. Turco is 5-1-1 in his last seven games with a 2.10 goals against-average and .928 save percentage. So how can the Stars take advantage of that?

"Play him," coach Marc Crawford said. "I mean, that's pretty much what we need to do."

While Crawford and his coaches planned to space out Turco's games in order to make sure he would avoid a slow start and not wear out by the end of the season, they might be ready to adjust.

The schedule has been fairly light the last few weeks, so Turco has had stretches of four and five days off and has been able to work with first-year goalie coach Mike Valley.

Crawford and Turco think it's time he takes on a heavier workload, even with a stretch of eight games in 13 days starting Wednesday in Detroit.

"We have taken care of the rest, and the schedule really has been very favorable for us, but it's time to play him now," Crawford said. "When you have a stretch like this, you want your goalie sharp, and we think we are ready for this."

Turco agrees. He said he's been happy with the pace so far, but he's ready to tackle a demanding stretch.

"I feel good," he said. "You obviously have to change depending on performances, and you can't always predict that, but what you can do is give yourself the best chance to succeed, and I think we're doing that right now.

"I think what we have done has worked, and I'm ready to take the next step. I'll do whatever they want me to do, but I can definitely play more."

Even in the worst season of his career in 2008-09, he put together a run in January and February of 10-3-0 with a 1.74 GAA and a .939 save percentage.

Of course, the final decision will go to Crawford and the coaching staff, but if the team is looking to build momentum and a winning streak, Turco would be a good place to start.

"People who know him a lot better than I do speak very highly of where he is right now," Crawford said. "So we're definitely aware of what he can do for us."