Stargazing: A Dallas Stars Puckcast | Defending Big D

The Dallas Stars endured their first regulation loss of the season last week. So yeah, it feels like a lot right now, because they're supposed to win all the time . You might like to think that the guys who gleefully post a regular Doomcast would be ready to pounce. But Wes and Mark have taken a much more measured approach – and we think you will, too, after you listen. In this edition of Stargazi...

The Dallas Stars haven't lost a single game in regulation in the 2023-24 season to date. They've gotten seven of eight available points. But don't worry – there's still plenty to keep a True Fan awake at night. Wes and Mark hear your cries, and that's only one reason why they're introducing a new gimmick feature for our humble puckcast. In this edition of Stargazing, you'll hear each of them choos...

Some of us just like to enjoy a beverage and watch a Dallas Stars game – and that's just fine. But others want to understand how players affect the game and the team around them...and that's where math comes in. For this edition of Stargazing, D Magazine 's David Castillo – who's also a longtime DBD contributor – sat down with Wes Lawrence to take the fear out of #fancystats. In this episode, they...

The 2023-24 NHL season is officially underway, and the Dallas Stars have emerged as heavy betting favorites for a strong run in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Therefore, every Stars fan should reflexively flinch and prepare for incoming fire. Here at Stargazing, we believe in embracing the fear as a way to reduce its demonic power over us. That’s why Wes and Mark spent last night rummaging through the...

It's that time of year when every team is undefeated and everything still seems possible. And here at Stargazing, we like where we're at. That's why Wes and Mark sat down late last week for their annual Mssrs. Brightside buddy act. And they found a lot to be positive about. In this episode, they discuss: the reasons why the defense may be better than you think it is, the new (and continuing) power...

Victory Green is back on the ice, and the Dallas Stars prospects are already putting up W's. Surely, this means this team is a juggernaut that's going straight to the Stanley Cup Final. Unless it doesn't. Wes and Mark are trying to find that balance between unreasonable optimism and ice-cold reality. You decide if it's working. In this episode: How does Lian Bichsel look on North American ice? &lt...

Hockey season is days away, and we really mean it this time. As we count the hours toward the 2023 Traverse City Prospects Tournament – the officially unofficial kickoff to the Dallas Stars' season – which dates should we watch? And what are we missing? Never fear – Wes Lawrence and Tyler Mair have devoted an entire podcast to these burning questions. In this episode: what to expect from the Trave...

The days grow short when you reach September, as the poet wrote. And as hockey season bears down on us like an out-of-control semi, life is going to come at you pretty fast, as another poet suggested.  With that in mind, Wes and Mark are wasting no time in testing out their takes for the coming Dallas Stars season. In this episode: Is this the deepest Stars squad in recent memory? How are player r...

The Dallas Stars have made some notable moves on this summer’s free-agent market, but so far the biggest headlines have surrounded GM Jim Nill. With a brand-new Jack Adams Award under his belt and two more years helming the ship in his future, that seems appropriate. Wes and Mark certainly thought so, and now they want to talk about why. In this edition: Why did GM Jim focus on the forward corps?...

When you don't have a first-round draft pick, you have to get creative. Arguably, getting creative is what the Dallas Stars have done best for the past several years. Where has that left the team's player pipeline? Friend of DBD Derek Neumeier , assistant director of scouting with McKeen's Hockey , sat down with Taylor Baird and Mark Zimmerman to discuss the Stars' 2023 NHL Draft and how it builds...

The Dallas Stars' season has ended, as all seasons do, and now it's time to start looking to what comes next. Tyler Mair, who's been assessing individual performances in his DBD Player Grades series, joined Mark Zimmerman to examine the Stars' present (and future?) roster. In this episode: How will the team bolster the forward corps? What are the most pressing issues regarding the defense? And can...

At some point in Western Conference Final Game 3, the Dallas Stars quit playing like a team and started playing like individuals. It would have been easy to give up on them when adversity struck early in Game 4...and yet here we are, with Game 5 on the horizon. Wes and Mark took a moment to disassemble the Voltron of disaster that culminated in Tuesday night's breakdown, and what the Victory Green...

The Dallas Stars have made it halfway to the big show. Not bad for a team that was widely expected to miss the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs altogether. Now comes their biggest test yet: Can they take down the regular-season Western Conference champions, the Vegas Golden Knights, on Sin City's home ice? Wes and Mark have been thinking about this matchup for a long time. A long time. In this edition, t...

It's win-or-go-home time for the Dallas Stars, which means it's the same for a very tough opponent, the Seattle Kraken. What's gonna happen? (No, really... what is going to happen?! ) Taylor Baird joined MC Wes Lawrence to go over the Stars' scenarios, and they had a lot to discuss in a short 30 minutes. In this episode: the case for a Victory Green victory, the factors that could swing the game,...

The Dallas Stars are coming home from Washington with a tied series in their duffles. Can they take their first Round 2 lead over the Seattle Kraken, on home ice? Wes, Mark and Tyler got together to give it a think-out-loud, and we turned it into a whole podcast. In this episode: why the Stars' top line has been the dog that didn't bark, what to make of Jake Oettinger's Round 2 stats, the horrible...

The Dallas Stars have responded to adversity pretty well so far in this Stanley Cup playoffs series. How can they carry that forward against a Seattle Kraken team that's (mostly) capable of matching skill with skill? DBD's fearless leader, Taylor Baird, joins Wes and Mark for a long look at the series so far, just in time for your pre-Game 3 listening. In this episode: the impact of Joe Pavelski,...

Three Round 1 wins in a row, taking the series in six...these Dallas Stars may actually be pretty good. Can they carry the pace into the Western Conference semifinals against a team that just knocked off the reigning champs? Wes, Mark and Tyler took a deep look into the team's performance and found plenty to talk about. In this episode: how the Victory Green Gang fashioned the Round 1 victory over...

The Dallas Stars organization has what we might call a good problem this season: Every team is positioned to make a big run at the top prize, and all of them want the best players for the effort. How does that shake out for the Austin Metro squad? Regular Stargazing co-host Mark Zimmerman invited back 100 Degree Hockey 's Stephen Meserve for a long talk about the Texas Stars' postseason, which off...

The Dallas Stars are back in Big D with Round 1 all tied up against the Minnesota Wild. How do they press home-ice advantage and get out of this series victorious? Wes Lawrence and Taylor Baird bring back Stargazing Nights with a review of the first four games, as well as a look ahead at the battles to come. It's probably going to be a long week – and trust us, you need their wisdom. It's the Stan...

Hockey fans everywhere are counting the minutes until the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs begin. So why not chain them together and make them fight for supremacy? Wes Lawrence, co-host of Defending Big D's own Stargazing Puckcast , joined fellow commentators from six of our sibling sites to chew the fat and spit hot fire: Stanley Cup Of Chowder , for all things Boston Bruins, Anaheim Calling, a favorite...

The Dallas Stars are in, and this year, there are expectations. No more lucky-to-be-here vibes – this time, the Victory Green Gang is challenging . You may ask yourself...how did they get here? Wes and Mark took a good look at the Stars' current situation, and dare we say they like where we're at? In this episode: Does it really matter who Dallas plays in the first round – and why not? How did Mas...

Now that the Dallas Stars have secured their berth on the 2023 Stanley Cup train, fans have a whole new set of anxieties to mull over. Which matchups help, or hurt, the most? Can the team stay healthy? And whatever will we do if they don't break any more records on the way to the first round?... So what's left on the regular-season wish list? Wes, Mark, and Taylor 2.0 got together, and they came u...

It's a good time to be a Dallas Stars fan. Jason Robertson is officially the new Mike Modano. Jamie Benn and Joe Pavelski have renewed our faith in Veteran Savvy with record-breaking performances. And Miro Heiskanen is still Miro Heiskanen. All this, plus Jake Oettinger, and the 2023 postseason looks like a bright light at the end of the regular-season tunnel. And while it's technically possible f...

The NHL’s Central Division is crammed with elite goaltenders, and the Greening Law, P.C. Have you had enough of ESPN yet? Tell us about it at Defending Big D , or DM us on the bird app @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts . You could be part of the next podcast. And we always, always appreciate a rate, review or share, because our listeners are the best listeners in the world. Hosted by Simplecast, an Ads...

Good news: The Greening Law, P.C. Are you ready to embrace the Daddy Era? Talk to us about it at Defending Big D , or DM us on the bird app @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts . You could be part of the next podcast. And please don’t forget to rate, review and share, wherever you listen. Thanks! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of...