Ryan Kesler had very specific instructions when he broke into the league under former Canucks coach Marc Crawford: put your head down and drive the net.

Things sure have changed. Seen as a speedy, hard-working forward with limited vision and finish in those first two seasons under Crawford -- one before and one after the lockout -- Kesler presented a bigger challenge for Crawford as head coach of the Dallas Stars on Friday. Following up on a breakthrough 26-goal, 59-point season that included being a Selke Trophy finalist as the league's best defensive forward, Kesler is showing he can be a force offensively as well.

"Thank God he's on our team," said new teammate -- and now linemate -- Mikael Samuelsson after tapping in two Kesler rebounds on Tuesday.

Even more impressive he is doing so as a the center -- and driving force -- on a second line that has consistently been the Canucks' best in recent weeks despite a revolving door of wingers, something few thought possible even after last year's offensive breakthrough.

That came on the right wing with since-departed skilled veterans Mats Sundin (retired) and Pavol Demitra (shoulder surgery), who freed Kesler up to drive hard to the net and play a physical role to create time and space while they controlled the puck. But with 16 points in 17 games this season, Kesler is showing he can also dominate at center.

There was no better example of his emergence as a playmaker than the key go-ahead goal midway through the third period of Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Rangers, as Kesler controlled the puck behind the net and along the boards, waiting patiently for a seam to open before making a perfect cross-ice pass to Rick Rypien streaking off the bench to the net. He added two more assists on rebounds of an improving shot, a skill that, much like keeping his head up more than Crawford encouraged him to do, the emerging Canucks' leader worked actively to improve over the summer, throughout training camp, and every day in practice.

"I really wanted to improve that aspect of my game," Kesler said earlier this season of his shot after scoring his second power play goal with a wicked glove-side wrister from the top of the faceoff circles. He spent hours taking shots at his summer home. "I thought in the second half of my year last season, even though I was getting goals, they seemed to be from hash marks in, one-timers or off rebounds. I really wanted to be a threat from the top of the circle in."

While others have played big roles in the Canucks' surprising 7-3-0 record since the injuries started piling up -- they were still missing seven players for Friday's 2-1 loss in Dallas -- Kesler has been the catalyst, killing penalties, taking key faceoffs, chipping in with consistent offense, and, perhaps above all else, leading with his infectious work ethic. He's become a go-to voice for the media, calling out poor efforts, then leading the way to better ones. And he remains tough to play against, getting under the skin of opposing players with his hard work on the puck and non-stop chatter away from it.

"Without a doubt, he's our most efficient player at both ends of the rink and that's why he's playing the most," coach Alain Vigneault said of Kesler. "Every player I seem to put him with, those players seem to go. I've always thought the elite players, the top-notch end, they make the players around them so much better. You can see that in Ryan right now with what he's doing. Whomever he's playing with, those guys are playing real, real well."

Kesler has 50 points in his last 52 games dating back to last season, and despite being blanked in Dallas on Friday after being robbed on a great chance in tight 15 seconds in, he went into the game leading NHL forwards with 22 takeaways and was fifth with 18 blocked shots. Kesler had also taken the fifth-most faceoffs in the league (297), just 11 fewer than teammate Henrik Sedin, who had the same impressive 52.9 winning percentage. If the rest of this season is indication, he can be counted on for a great game Tuesday in St. Louis after failing to record a point in two-straight -- and he'll try to being others with him.

"It doesn't matter who I'm playing with -- it's my job to make the players around me better," Kesler said. "Almost force them to become better players."

The problem now will be keeping Kesler, ironic since many wanted the Canucks to balk at matching Philadelphia's $1.9-million offer sheet in 2006, urging them to take just a second-round pick as compensation for letting him go despite the fact Kesler was a first-round pick, 23rd overall, just three years earlier. Now Kesler is poised to triple his $1.75-million salary in the final year of a three-year contract, and is earning comparisons to Philadelphia captain Mike Richards, who was taken one spot later in the 2003 draft, was a Selke finalist last season, is also 25 years-old and just happens to be making $5.75-million a season through 2019-20 after signing a 12-year/$69-million extension last December. Richards scores more and has led his team to the Eastern Conference finals once, but if nothing else Kesler may be the target of another offer sheet as a Group 2 restricted free agent July 1 with arbitration rights.

STARS 2, CANUCKS 1: Surprise starting goalie Cory Schneider kept the Canucks in a game they didn't deserve to win, but Vancouver's fourth-ranked power play failed to repay the redheaded rookie in the third period, wasting a 45-save effort from the minor-league call up. That included 39 stops, many of them brilliant, in the first two periods as the injury-ravaged, road-weary Canucks were outskated and outplayed badly by the Stars for 40 minutes before rallying in the third period. Schneider, given the nod in back to back games despite the fact Andrew Raycroft continued to be the NHL's hottest goalie with 28 saves in a 4-2 win in Minnesota the night before, robbed Mike Ribeiro twice -- once alone in the slot and again on a breakaway, stopped Loui Ericsson alone in the slot, and stretched out to take a sure goal away from rookie Jamie Benn after being sent in alone by Mike Modano. Only a perfect shot by Brad Richards alone in the slot after a bad giveaway by Aaron Rome behind the net beat him through two periods, but Brendan Morrow doubled the lead on a power play early in the third period on a backdoor tap in after Benn's short-side stuff attempt rolled off his stick perfectly to the Stars captain alone at the far side. Henrik Sedin had an apparent goal disallowed a few minutes later after the referee prematurely blew the whistle when Alex Burrows kicked the puck into goalie Marty Turco from behind the net and the Stars goalie failed to cover, a mistake that became more costly when Mason Raymond jammed in a rebound midway through the period.

Still, after not doing enough to even create a power play the first two periods, the Canucks got consecutive chances late in the third, including 18 seconds of 5-on-3 time, but their fourth-ranked power play couldn't exploit the Stars' 29th-ranked penalty kill as Turco gloved Sami Salo's rocket on the best chance.

The early result wasn't surprising -- the Canucks were playing their ninth game in 14 days after traveling more than 1,000 miles after a game in Minnesota on Thursday and were never missing fewer than six injured players during that stretch -- but Schneider gave them a chance anyway, and deserved a better fate.

"We had one player who was fresh and that was our goaltender," Canuck coach Alain Vigneault said. "He certainly had a great outing (Friday night)."

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