Stargazing: A Dallas Stars Puckcast | Defending Big D

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 taking more high-danger shots or reshuffling the forward lines. As a matter of fact, we did record this in the wash room during our lunch break. That's our story. And this...is Stargazing. Who's due to break through? Let us know at Defending Big D, or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on that one app that used to be the other app. We're here for you. And please, if you're inclined, honor our stupid commitment to this bit with a rate, review or share. Let's get through this together.

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, especially – on everything from officiating to special teams and from board battles to point shots (or lack thereof). Does Jake Oettinger need to do a miracle, or just the expected? It's time for Stargazing After Dark, and it's brought to you by BetOnline. Need to vent? Let us know at Defending Big D, or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on that one app that used to be the other app. Impress your friends and get a shout in our next cast! And please don’t forget to rate, review and share. You make us feel brand-new.

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 busy postseason, as both interim site manager of Knights On Ice and deputy managing editor of the New York Rangers site Blueshirt Banter. He sat down with Wes and Mark to talk rosters, storylines, and possible surprises for the first round. So who you got? Let's talk about it. It's Stargazing time! What are your hopes and fears for the first round? Share them in the comments, or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on the Default Font From The ’90s app. (We’re still there, but only for you.) And please don’t forget to rate, review and share. Hey, it's the playoffs. And we love you all more than ever.

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 playoffs? <li>What can we say about Mavrik Bourque's debut?</li> <li>How will Pete DeBoer handle load management for Tyler Seguin?</li> <li>What happens when Daddy and Hak come back?</li> <li>And ever so much more.</li> So is it better to take on the Vegas Golden Knights earlier or later in the Stanley Cup playoffs? You know you've asked yourself the same question. Let's go Stargazing...for answers! We all have postseason thoughts. Share yours in the comments, or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on the Default Font From The ’90s app. (We’re still there! Well, for you we will be.) And please don’t forget to rate, review and share. We love you all, and we’ll love you even better during the playoffs.

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 week, they get a timely assist from Taylor Baird, NHL.com contributor and our own longtime editor-in-chief. In this episode: a big win in British Columbia – and a taste of the Stanley Cup fight on the horizon, the return of Playoffs Jake Oettinger, the long tail of the Bennaissance, and so very much more. The President's Trophy: a gift or a curse? (Bearing in mind that the last time the Stars won it, they also won the Cup.) Tell us in the comments, or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts over on the Default Font From The ’90s app. (We’re still there, usually.) And please don’t forget to rate, review and share. We love you all, and we’ll love you even better during the playoffs.

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 did GM Jim Nill do in preparing his squad for this moment? And finally, what's the secret sauce in the Seguin-Duchene-Marchment line, and why does it go away when any one of them does? We just might have figured it out. Don't tell us you don't want to know. Join us for some Stargazing. What do you want to see as the Stars take on one more West Coast swing? Tell us at Defending Big D, or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on that one app that used to be the other app. (Sure we're still there!) And please don’t forget to rate, review and share. We love you all, and we'll love you even better during the playoffs.

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 incoming Logan Stankoven supremacy, and so very much more. Want to get in your final stretch-run predictions while they haven't been overtaken by events? Tell us here – or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on that one app that used to be the other app. Trust us, we've thought up worse. And please don’t forget to rate, review and share. You keep us alive.

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 Big D – or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on the birdy app. And don’t forget to rate, review and share. Thanks for the support.

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 and called D Magazine contributor and Friend o' DBD Robert Tiffin, whose latest piece for StrongSide is the jumping-off point for their musings. In this episode: Do the Stars have to trade their future to close their Cup window? Is there any real downside to trading a first-round pick? Is Chris Tanev or Noah Hanifin really the answer? And which will kill the team first: cap or term? Hey, every time the Stars have gotten Jamie Oleksiak back, he's been a better player. We're just saying. And that's why we're Stargazing. Who's on your wish list for the Stars' next big swing? Tell us at Defending Big D – or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on the birdy app. And don’t forget to rate, review and share. Thanks for the support.

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 does Wyatt Johnston graduate from "good prospect" to "good NHL player"? Is Playoffs Jake Oettinger back in action? What can the Stars do – really do – if one of their defenders gets taken out by injury? For any length of time? What's the underreported cap issue that could shape the roster well into next season? And much, much more. Who's your dark-horse candidate for the Dallas Stars Hall of Fame? Let's talk about all of them at Defending Big D – or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on the birdy app. And don't forget to rate, review and share. We love you best.

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 Green Gang gain momentum, or will they settle for holding serve? We'll talk about this, and so much more. Can we podcast any more this week? (Well, technically, probably not, because it's already Saturday.) Tell us where to get off at Defending Big D, or contact us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on the birdy app. And do the Stars fan in your life a favor – share this podcast with them. Give us a rate or review while you're at it. Your love keeps us going.

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 the struggle bus. It's time to catch up – so Mark sat down with Stephen Meserve, the mind behind 100 Degree Hockey and one half of the writing team behind the definitive Texas Stars history-in-essays, We Win Here. In this edition, they talked about: how injuries have affected the roster, how players and staff have tried to adjust, the surprises (and no-surprises) among the team's hottest prospects, what some standout players need to do to make it to the next level, and much, much more. Ever wondered why the back half of the Texas Stars season is always so loaded? Find out here...on Stargazing. (And while you're at it, follow Stephen and 100 Degree Hockey on the birdy app for the latest on the T-Stars.) Let's think about the future. Talk to us about your favorite up-and-comers at Defending Big D – or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on the birdy app. And share the love by sharing this episode. Give us a rate or review, too. Of all our favorite listeners, you’re our most favorite-est.

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 Stankoven / Mavrik Bourque conundrum that hangs over everything, what to do at the trade deadline, the lazy takes, and the crazy takes, and so much more. Is there really nothing left to talk about until March? And how are we going to pad out this little puppet show until then? Let us know at Defending Big D – or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts. (Hey, it's February in Dallas. You're gonna want to warm up over these hot takes later.) And share the love by sharing this episode. Give us a rate or review, too. Of all our favorite listeners, you're our most favorite-est.

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 Scott Wedgewood, Starting Goaltender, reaches the moment of unsustainability, why the Stars should play three forwards in overtime, why the Stars should practice with three forwards in overtime first, the real cost of Miro Heiskanen's absence, however short it may be, what the last rollercoaster week can tell us about the team and its roster, and much, much more. Roope Hintz may be the Stars' best player, but is Jake Oettinger their most better? Let Wes and Mark explain this, then let us know what you think at Defending Big D. Or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts. Hot takes for cold weather! And show your friends you love them by sharing this episode around. Give us a rate or review, too. It's the preferred New Year's resolution.

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" to carry the day, things to watch for this weekend, New Year's resolutions for our favorite GM, and much, much more. How much can a team can get done in 13 seconds? We're liable to find out. Welcome to Stargazing! What’s your Stars-related resolution for 2024? Let us know at Defending Big D, or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts. We need more hot takes to get us through a cold January. And show your friends you love them, man – share this episode around. Give us a rate or review, if the holiday mood hits you. See you next year!

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 that alone, too, Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque, and why they probably need to be left alone, a radical plan for Radek Faksa, and much, much more. What's your least popular Stars-related opinion? Let us know at Defending Big D, or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts. We love you and your hot takes. And please, show your friends you care by sharing this episode. Give us a rate or review while you’re at it. Scamper ’round the aluminum pole with us!

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 Oettinger to a possible plan for the NHL trade deadline. Now you can enjoy their conversation while you're pregaming tonight's bout with the Ottawa Senators. This is Stargazing, and yes, we love you that much. What do you want to see more of from this year’s Stars? Let us know at Defending Big D, or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts. We read all your comments, and we’ll even name-check you in a future cast, if your hot takes are spicy enough. And don’t forget to share with your friends. Give us a rate or review while you’re at it. It's the holiday thing to do.

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 to play along with our TV On The Radio segment, you can watch, too. Mark chose a clip in which Jani Hakanpää picked a bad time to make a routine stick adjustment. And Wes selected the moment in which we see Mason Marchment go from zero to hero within the same questionable display. What do you want to see more of from this year's Stars? Let us know here, or DM us  @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts. We read all your comments, and we'll even name-check you in a future cast, if your hot takes are spicy enough. And in the holiday spirit, don't forget to share with your friends. Give us a rate or review while you're at it. We're Stargazing, and we love you.

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 cast! It’s fun. And please, tell your friends about us. Give us a rate or review wherever you listen, too. We're still Stargazing, and you're still awesome.

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! (Or after. Timeshifting is cool, too.) And just to show how committed to the bit we are, there are three TV On The Radio clips to nerd out over this time around – all from the Stars' seat-of-the-pants victory over the Calgary Flames. Wes singles out Jamie Benn's defensive chops here. And here are Mark's picks – first, extra footage on the Captain's coverage, and then another highlighting the decision-making of Ryan Suter and Jani Hakanpää. What else do you wanna know? Let us know at Defending Big D – or DM us on Txxitter @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts. Get a mention in the next cast! It's fun. And please, tell your friends about us. Give us a rate or review wherever you listen, too. We are Stargazing, and you are awesome.