The Dallas Stars are coming home to a best-of-three series after another overtime in Minnesota – this one ending in a loss. What's next?
In this episode of Stargazing, Wes and Mark discuss everything from the Nils Lundkvist's injury to Thomas Harley's impact, and from the performance of the top line to Michael Bunting's possible fit into the lineup.
Who needs to go off if the Stars want to close the deal? We're Stargazing, and we have our ideas.
What did you see in Game 4? <a href="https://www.defendingbigd.com/">Let us know at Defending Big D</a>. And please don’t forget to rate, review and share wherever you listen.
Welcome to Stargazing. We love you. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

<description>&lt;p&gt;The Dallas Stars are coming home to a best-of-three series after another overtime in Minnesota – this one ending in a loss. What's next?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In this episode of Stargazing, Wes and Mark discuss everything from the Nils Lundkvist's injury to Thomas Harley's impact, and from the performance of the top line to Michael Bunting's possible fit into the lineup.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Who needs to go off if the Stars want to close the deal? We're Stargazing, and we have our ideas.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What did &lt;em&gt;you&lt;/em&gt; see in Game 4? &lt;a href="https://www.defendingbigd.com/"&gt;Let us know at Defending Big D&lt;/a&gt;. And please don’t forget to rate, review and share wherever you listen.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Welcome to Stargazing. We love you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See &lt;a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com"&gt;pcm.adswizz.com&lt;/a&gt; for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

So now it's a best-of-three series. Wes Lawrence and Mark Zimmerman talk about what Dallas may yet have in their bag of tricks.

Round 1, Game 4 Reactions

The Dallas Stars did what the Dallas Stars do on Wednesday night. And it worked out just fine – this time – as Dallas Stars things are liable to do, especially during series with the Minnesota Wild. (What did that one guy say?... Sixty percent of the time, it works all the time.)
In this episode of Stargazing, Wes and Mark take a dive into the double-overtime victory in St. Paul. They discuss the revival of Dallas' special teams, who's really winning at 5-on-5, where puck luck and regression can make a difference (and for whom), why stupid fouls could still decide the series, predictions for Game 4, and so very, very much more.
If you can win the high-danger areas, you can probably win the series. We're Stargazing, and danger is our business.
What did you see in Game 3? <a href="https://www.defendingbigd.com/">Let us know at Defending Big D</a>. And please don’t forget to rate, review and share wherever you listen. You're the real stars.
By the way, welcome to Stargazing. We love you. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

<description>&lt;p&gt;The Dallas Stars did what the Dallas Stars do on Wednesday night. And it worked out just fine – this time – as Dallas Stars things are liable to do, especially during series with the Minnesota Wild. (What did that one guy say?... Sixty percent of the time, it works all the time.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In this episode of Stargazing, Wes and Mark take a dive into the double-overtime victory in St. Paul. They discuss the revival of Dallas' special teams, who's really winning at 5-on-5, where puck luck and regression can make a difference (and for whom), why stupid fouls could still decide the series, predictions for Game 4, and so very, very much more.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If you can win the high-danger areas, you can probably win the series. We're Stargazing, and danger is our business.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What did &lt;em&gt;you&lt;/em&gt; see in Game 3? &lt;a href="https://www.defendingbigd.com/"&gt;Let us know at Defending Big D&lt;/a&gt;. And please don’t forget to rate, review and share wherever you listen. You're the &lt;em&gt;real&lt;/em&gt; stars.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;By the way, welcome to Stargazing. We love you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See &lt;a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com"&gt;pcm.adswizz.com&lt;/a&gt; for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Dallas did Dallas things. Wes and Mark wiped the sleep from their eyes in time to discuss the first game in Minnesota.

Round 1, Game 3 Reactions

The Dallas Stars won on Monday night, and all of a sudden the Minnesota Wild look like the team that needs to adjust. The Stars' depth is beginning to come through. Will the Wild respond by shortening their bench to about five guys?
In this episode of Stargazing, Wes and Mark go back to the blanket analogy: Whenever you cover one thing, you risk leaving something else exposed. They discuss how and why an early lead played to Dallas' strengths and Minnesota's weaknesses, what happens when every player succeeds in his role, and what we might see as the series travels to St. Paul.
It's still a long series, so the long game matters. We're Stargazing, and we're deliberately making these casts shorter, just so we can make more.
What's your take on Game 2? <a href="https://www.defendingbigd.com/">Let us know at Defending Big D</a>. And please don’t forget to rate, review and share wherever you listen. It's the daily affirmation that we love most of all.
Welcome to Stargazing. We love you. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

<description>&lt;p&gt;The Dallas Stars won on Monday night, and all of a sudden the Minnesota Wild look like the team that needs to adjust. The Stars' depth is beginning to come through. Will the Wild respond by shortening their bench to about five guys?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In this episode of Stargazing, Wes and Mark go back to the blanket analogy: Whenever you cover one thing, you risk leaving something else exposed. They discuss how and why an early lead played to Dallas' strengths and Minnesota's weaknesses, what happens when every player succeeds in his role, and what we might see as the series travels to St. Paul.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It's still a long series, so the long game matters. We're Stargazing, and we're deliberately making these casts shorter, just so we can make more.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What's your take on Game 2? &lt;a href="https://www.defendingbigd.com/"&gt;Let us know at Defending Big D&lt;/a&gt;. And please don’t forget to rate, review and share wherever you listen. It's the daily affirmation that we love most of all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Welcome to Stargazing. We love you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See &lt;a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com"&gt;pcm.adswizz.com&lt;/a&gt; for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Roster depth matters. Wes Lawrence and Mark Zimmerman talk about what happens when every Dallas Stars player does his job.

Round 1, Game 2 Reactions

There is nothing wrong with the Dallas Stars. Their systems work, and so does their lineup. And this Minnesota Wild team is still exactly what we thought it was. So how do we square these things with the...effort we saw in Game 1?
To make sense of Saturday's loss, we needed to bring in the big guns. So Wes and Mark tackled the topic with <a href="https://www.nhl.com/">NHL.com</a>'s Taylor Baird – whom you also know as DBD's editor-in-chief. They went over the lines that worked (and didn't), the injuries that still dog the team, and what the Stars will do to rally after getting punched in the face.
The Stars have a history of losing the first game in a Stanley Cup Playoffs round, then going on to win the series. We're Stargazing, and we're taking the long view for as long as we can.
What's your take on Game 1? <a href="https://www.defendingbigd.com/">Let us know at Defending Big D</a>. And please don’t forget to rate, review and share wherever you listen. It's the daily affirmation that we love most of all.
Welcome to Stargazing. We love you. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

<description>&lt;p&gt;There is nothing wrong with the Dallas Stars. Their systems work, and so does their lineup. And this Minnesota Wild team is still exactly what we thought it was. So how do we square these things with the...effort we saw in Game 1?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To make sense of Saturday's loss, we needed to bring in the big guns. So Wes and Mark tackled the topic with &lt;a href="https://www.nhl.com/"&gt;NHL.com&lt;/a&gt;'s Taylor Baird – whom you also know as DBD's editor-in-chief. They went over the lines that worked (and didn't), the injuries that still dog the team, and what the Stars will do to rally after getting punched in the face.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Stars have a history of losing the first game in a Stanley Cup Playoffs round, then going on to win the series. We're Stargazing, and we're taking the long view for as long as we can.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What's your take on Game 1? &lt;a href="https://www.defendingbigd.com/"&gt;Let us know at Defending Big D&lt;/a&gt;. And please don’t forget to rate, review and share wherever you listen. It's the daily affirmation that we love most of all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Welcome to Stargazing. We love you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See &lt;a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com"&gt;pcm.adswizz.com&lt;/a&gt; for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Wes and Mark welcome NHL.com's Taylor Baird for some piping hot takes on how the Stars' playoffs have begun.

Round 1, Game 1 Reactions

And here we are again. The Dallas Stars will face the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs — which probably says more about the NHL's desperate need to revise their postseason format than anything, but that's a question for another time, and at any rate it's beyond the scope of this recording.
Rather, Wes and Mark would like to talk about how the Stars will approach the challenge at hand. In this episode of Stargazing, they discuss which players have the most to prove, how matchups will shape up given the crucial home-ice advantage, who stands to make the most of the playoffs, and so much more.
The two best players entering this series...? Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson have entered the chat. We're Stargazing, and the stats will back us up on this. (We've got more, if you want it.)
Which Stars will shine in Round 1? <a href="https://www.defendingbigd.com/">Let's talk about it at Defending Big D</a>. And please give us a rate, review, or share wherever you get your podcasts. It's really all we think about these days.
Welcome to Stargazing. We love you. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

<description>&lt;p&gt;And here we are again. The Dallas Stars will face the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs — which probably says more about the NHL's desperate need to revise their postseason format than anything, but that's a question for another time, and at any rate it's beyond the scope of this recording.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Rather, Wes and Mark would like to talk about how the Stars will approach the challenge at hand. In this episode of Stargazing, they discuss which players have the most to prove, how matchups will shape up given the crucial home-ice advantage, who stands to make the most of the playoffs, and so much more.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The two best players entering this series...? Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson have entered the chat. We're Stargazing, and the stats will back us up on this. (We've got more, if you want it.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Which Stars will shine in Round 1? &lt;a href="https://www.defendingbigd.com/"&gt;Let's talk about it at Defending Big D&lt;/a&gt;. And please give us a rate, review, or share wherever you get your podcasts. It's really all we think about these days.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Welcome to Stargazing. We love you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See &lt;a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com"&gt;pcm.adswizz.com&lt;/a&gt; for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

We're home. Wes and Mark preview the action as the Stars begin their Stanley Cup Playoffs against the crotchety cousins from St. Paul.

First-Round Preview: Stars vs. Wild

From Defending Big D: Dallas Stars news, opinion, and everything you love about the South‘s most popular NHL franchise.

Stargazing: A Dallas Stars Puckcast | Defending Big D

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