Stargazing: A Dallas Stars Puckcast | Defending Big D

The Dallas Stars have won their way into Round 2 – and a throwback series with their #MurderDeathKill Division siblings the Colorado Avalanche. (Or, if you prefer, from the 2023 Stanley Cup winners to the 2022 Stanley Cup winners.) This time, we welcomed Evan Liu of our 4Fans sister site Puck Yeti . He sat down with Wes and Mark for the usual roundtable about roster strengths and weaknesses, the p...

The Dallas Stars have staged a pretty amazing Round 1 comeback – and they have not one, but two opportunities to finish the job in the next few days. It hasn't always been pretty, and pretty hasn't always meant victory...but is this team for real? Really, really real? Wes Lawrence and Mark Zimmerman are Stars fans, so they're always looking over their shoulders. But even they see the green shoots...

The Dallas Stars don't need to do something extra, they just need to be who they are. That's how Wes Lawrence and Mark Zimmerman see the state of play after the Victory Green Gang – against all odds, as it were –evened up Round 1 in Vegas on Tuesday night. In this episode, DBD's cast-masters bring the discussion on everything that matters – including Jake Oettinger's return to the best version of...

The Dallas Stars are in the series against the Golden Knights now, in large part because Wyatt Johnston can put the team on his back now that he's (almost) old enough to partake of adult beverages. But what will they need to quiet the house in Vegas again? Well, for starters, Wes and Mark would like a sixth defenseman who can get more than eight minutes a game. But they have a wish list, and they'...

The Vegas Golden Knights have the opportunity to close out Round 1 on their own ice. The only thing that can stop them is the best team in the Western Conference. And yes, that's still the Dallas Stars. But the Victory Green Gang still needs to find a way to bring its best against a team that has committed to doing what it does best. Wes Lawrence and Mark Zimmerman puzzle out what that might mean...

Whether you think the Dallas Stars have already lost this series, or already won it...you're right. Last night's narrow Game 1 defeat can support almost any preconceived narrative of your choice. So why even bother to watch the rest of them? ...Well, let's not go that far. Wes Lawrence and Mark Zimmerman have had a few hours to assimilate everything, and they have thoughts. And takes. Takes, espec...

The Dallas Stars' Stanley Cup quest begins tonight. And Stars fans everywhere are both ecstatic and apprehensive that their team's first meeting is against last year's nemesis, the Vegas Golden Knights. How should one feel about that? ...No, really? For this assignment, Stargazing wanted to go straight to the source – so we sought out 4Fans' resident opposition expert. Tom Urtz Jr. is having a bus...

The 2023-24 Dallas Stars really are that good. Is it OK to just enjoy it for a few days, for cryin' out loud? Here at Stargazing, we say...prrrrrrobably? Wes and Mark sat down on Eclipse Day 2024 to bask in the totality of the past week, good and bad. And as always, they have plenty to say about our Stars and what they have revealed to us. In this episode: How are the Stars preparing for the playo...

The 2023-24 Dallas Stars are sitting on top of the world – or at least the Western Conference. Although you might be forgiven for not knowing it, because it seems hardly anybody wants to talk about a team with three (or four) scoring lines. That leaves a select few, including Wes and Mark, to find the discussion points in this particularly well-balanced version of the Victory Green Gang. And this...

The Dallas Stars are out for the last long road trip of the season. It's time to start talking about the Stanley Cup playoffs battles that are, at this point, certain to come. Wes Lawrence and Mark Zimmerman are back from spring break, and they have plenty to discuss, mainly about the Stars' state of readiness for the fight ahead. What's going right? Where are the exploitable weaknesses? And how d...

The Dallas Stars have pulled the trigger on a major trade-deadline move, and soon (no, really, soon ) top-four blueliner Chris Tanev will wear Victory Green. So...anything else happen since last week? Oh, mercy. Wes and Mark have watched all of it, and they have...thoughts. And a few scorching-hot takes. Join us for a little Stargazing as they discuss the games just played, the schedule ahead, the...

The Dallas Stars have gotten used to scoring their way out of their troubles. So what do they do when the goals get fewer? Wes and Mark took a look at a long, long road week and found a few spots that the line blender might solve – and a few that the NHL trade deadline might help. Join us for a little pre-game Stargazing, won't you? Which forward lines would you like to roll? Tell us at Defending...

The 2023-24 Dallas Stars are a team with expectations. But as a Dallas Stars fan, you still have to be this sad to ride – and the prospect of entering the Stanley Cup playoffs with holes in the defense may be the big comedown you've been waiting for. The NHL trade deadline is days away, and clearly, this is the point at which you need more players on the ice. So Wes and Mark took their own advice...

The entire month of February is shaping up to be a Valentine to Dallas Stars fans. Just look at the past week, and the two weeks coming up. What can you say? Well, as it turns out, Wes and Mark have plenty to say. And in this episode of Stargazing, they cut loose on questions like this: Has Jim Nill underserved one of his own golden rules? And what will it do to the Stars' Stanley Cup hopes? When...

The Dallas Stars have had an interesting February so far, and they haven't even hit the most interesting part of their schedule. We're probably not the first people to point out how much of a test this month will be – but we can belabor the point with the best of them. That's one reason why Wes and Tyler settled in to talk about how it started, how it's going, and what to expect. Can the Victory G...

It's All-Star Week – or is it more of an All-Star Long Weekend? – in the AHL. And the Texas Stars sent a four-member contingent to join the festivities, including their head coach, the league's two biggest scorers, and the presumptive Rookie of the Year, who's also a likely league MVP. It's a lot to take in, especially for a team that started the season with a bang but has started the new year on...

you do with your January? Wes and Mark decided to do some cookin'...and now they're ready to talk recipes. Stargazing is back with a vengeance, and in this episode, we discuss: Jake Oettinger, All-Star, and whether he's set to play like one, how to make sure Miro Heiskanen is ready to be a tank in the playoffs the defensive developments that could decide the Stars' postseason fate, the Logan Stank...

Barely beat a bad team. Blow the doors off a bad team. Barely lose to a bad team. Then blow a lead and lose to a really good team in overtime. The Dallas Stars have had a pretty remarkable New Year's week. Wes and Mark are ready to start 2024 with a bang, so they're unloading some of their best analysis and barely-digestible hot takes in this week's Stargazing. In this edition, they discuss: when...

Happy New Year...'s Eve weekend! Our Dallas Stars will end 2023 with a home-and-home against the Chicago Blackhawks, and the holiday mood is pervasive. (All that red and green! Festive, right?) Wes and Mark feel like celebrating, but they always have an eye out for anything that could spoil the party. In this episode, they discuss: what these Stars are capable of, the perils of relying on "clutch"...

The Dallas Stars pulled off a Festivus miracle last night, so of course Stargazing needs to complain about something. Of course. Kidding, sort of – but Wes and Mark always have an eye on where the puck will be next, and they've already moved on to the next worry. In this episode, they discuss: the netminding situation, and why Jim Nill should leave it alone, the defense, and why Nill should leave...

The Dallas Stars have a few December problems. Do they need to figure them out before March? For a team with the Victory Green Gang's ambitions – and limitations – it's a pretty important question. Wes Lawrence and Mark Zimmerman got together this morning to talk about everything from the state of the Central Division to the fun going on out West, and from the not-so-fun stats dogging Jake Oetting...

It's been an interesting December so far for the Dallas Stars. They've blown out, and they've been blown out. They've won and lost in close games. The schedule has given us mirror images of the same team. How do they find their way back to consistency? Wes Lawrence and Mark Zimmerman sat down to talk about the current state of play, and we have a hunch you'll want to listen. And in case you want t...

The past month has been a wild ride against some strong teams, and the real questions keep getting...realer. What's a Dallas Stars fan to focus on? Wes and Mark are listening, and they're talking, too. They'll help you catch up – or at least give you something to argue with. What are you thinking these days? Let us know here – or DM us   @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts . Get a mention in the next cas...

It's a good thing the Dallas Stars keep winning games, or you might be worried about them. Here at Stargazing, we're happy to do the worrying for you, which is where Wes and Mark come in. Our MP3 heroes met up before a game in Vancouver that could be the scoring bonanza of the season to date. Get their all their hot takes, considered observations, and game-time predictions before the 9 PM start! (...

The 2023-23 Texas Stars may boast more genuine blue-chip prospects than they've ever had. They also have a diminished veteran presence and may struggle to reach the AHL playoffs. What shall we make of this conundrum? No reporter knows the Cedar Park system better than 100 Degree Hockey founder Stephen Meserve. And in this sit-down with Mark, he once again shares his expertise with Stargazing. In t...