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Well, here we are. I think even the most stubborn amongst us have to admit it: That's the season, right? To some, it's felt like a done deal for over a week but that loss last night extinguished that last little bit of hope I was keeping alive down deep in a secret place. This missing the playoffs two years in a row bit feels like uncharted territory for Dallas Star fans. It's certainly not enjoyable.

When teams across sports get to this point in their season, they invariably do the same thing: Turn an eye toward the future and start adjusting their on-ice/on-court/on-field lineups to reflect that mind set. In other words, start the quarterback you've been grooming. Call up the kids from AAA that might help you next year. Start that rookie point guard. And in the Stars situation, what do they do? They've already gone to Kari Lehtonen. We would be talking Vishnevskiy if not for the trade. So there's not much, really. No fan-friendly "See, look at what's coming for next season" kind of decisions to make. That makes this a little harder for me, personally. I'd be curious to know what you all think.

The game last night was, by most accounts, not all that bad. It's just always something, though. The offense didn't click enough last night, and the Flyer goaltending might have been just a hair better. Still, Lehtonen has done much these last two games to shake at least a few doubts heading into the off-season, provided it continues.

Ott was good, obviously. Pre-Olympic Karlis Skrastins made an appearance. Daley and Woywitka had "one of those games," and I don't know how I'm liking this Benn/Neal thing. I might need a little more offense, guys.

In the mean time, enjoy all the quotes and thoughts on the Flyers first win in Dallas since 1996...

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More photos » Tony Gutierrez - AP

From happier times this season. And when Fabian Brunnstrom was actually in the lineup (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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Well that figures.

From the Stars official press release:

Frisco, Tex. -- Dallas Stars center Mike Modano underwent surgery today for an appendectomy and will be out of action indefinitely. He is not expected to play in the Stars’ home game vs. San Jose on Tuesday evening.

Modano, 39, did not practice with the team today. He has appeared in all 68 of Dallas’ games this season (one of three players to do so; also Loui Eriksson and Stephane Robidas), scoring 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points with 20 penalty minutes.

I don't really have much more to add. Obviously his absence will be felt on the third line. And for a team that's had the kind of defensive problems lately that the Stars have had, this couldn't have occurred at a worse time.

Let's just hope Mo is resting comfortably and that he'll be able to return rather soon.

Because like Art said on Twitter, it would suck for Modano's career to end in Dallas because of a freaking appendectomy.

[UPDATE] Mike Heika has Mo's digits:

UPDATE: I texted Modano and he was kind enough to text back. He said the appendix did not rupture, so that was a good thing. He said he's been told 1-2 weeks.

And about that exact timeframe. Paging Dr. Crow:

``A lot of it depends on how invasive they were and whether you have any setbacks,'' Crawford said.

As you've probably heard, Sunday's game against the Colorado Avalanche, originally thought to be airing on NBC, was not picked up by the network. The Stars tried hard to find a carrier on short notice but were unable to do so, leaving we in the DFW area without the Stars on television for the first time in a very, very long time.

Before now. your options were to listen on the radio, watch it on NHL Center Ice (the blackout will be lifted in DFW for this game), or go to the game, of course.

But now there is a fourth option, because Defending Big D will be live at the AAC, providing updates as well as our customary game thread. So instead of huddling around your AM radios like it's 1939 and the Germans Colorado Avalanche are attacking, you can stream audio from DallasStars.com and stay up to date with live updates right here at Defending Big D.

Here are some notes from the Stars on the (lack of) broadcast:

• The Stars will snap a string of 1,101 consecutive games (including playoff games) televised in DFW this Sunday vs. Colorado (2 pm).
• This streak began with the final five games of the 1996-97 season and ended in the Stars’ 67th game of the 2009-10 season vs. LA on Friday.
• The Stars televised every game for 11 consecutive seasons (1997-98  --  2008-09).
• The last Stars regular season game not televised in Dallas-Ft. Worth: April 4, 1997 at Anaheim.
• NHL Center Ice customers in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex will be able to access Sunday’s game via the Colorado feed. The NHL has lifted the blackout for this contest since there is no local broadcast.

All things considered, Stars fans have been pretty fortunate to a "Sun Belt" team that's seen every game for so long. If you want to see how the other half live, go check out the Carolina Hurricanes TV schedule. Ouch.

The final game of the season, unless I am mistaken, has also yet to be assigned a broadcast home. It's a road game against the Minnesota Wild. I am sure the Stars want that game on and are working to get it, especially when you consider that it could be**** the last in a Stars uniform for Mike Modano and others.

More photos » David Duprey - AP

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Stargazing is a daily assortment of Dallas Stars  and NHL news, and whatever other random ramblings are bouncing around inside our heads.

Looking ahead is often times more fun than looking back. Particularly in sports. The Stars and their fans are running out of places to look.

We'll look forward to the home stand because of shots on goal. The Stars were out-shot last night 43 to 20, and overall on the trip by a margin of 129 to 76 that earned them 14 goals against. At home Dallas has outshout their opponents in 6 of their last 7. We'll look forward to the home stand because it's a place where the Stars have found consistent success this year. Prior to the Olympic break, they won 7 of their last 8 at the AAC. They have earned points in 23 of 31 home games this season overall. The road has not been nearly as kind. If there exists a place where the Stars can start a last minute comeback, the American Airlines Center is it.

I'll look forward to the home stand, personally, because "it's tougher where there isn't any." The season is not turning out like we'd hoped it would, but pretty soon there will be 5 very long months without ice at the AAC, so I'll try to appreciate it while I still can.

Sadly, we must take a look back at last night, however. 25 goals against is now the total since the break. Tomas Vanek's "hey where did that guy come from?" goal last night was a perfect microcosm for the post Olympic Stars. The defensive coverage is baffling to players and fans alike, and (as they say about the economy) there are no "signs of recovery." Even so, I thought Marty Turco played well under siege.

Hopefully there will be signs of recovery on Friday night, or the next thing we'll be looking forward to, is the draft.

After the jump, could Jamie Benn see playoff hockey somewhere else? And lot's of quotes (Crawford is critical?) and reaction from the game...

And I almost forgot: Defending Big D Live is on the air tonight at 7pm!

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Amid all of the doom and gloom that has surrounded the Dallas Stars organization over the past week, I'd like to say that there are positive signs of life somewhere in the organization.  The Texas Stars look to be playoff bound after a light week of games that saw two divisional opponents visit the Cedar Park Center.  Additionally, the Stars captain, Landon Wilson, and 1A goaltender, Brent Krahn, have returned to the ice in Austin.

Yes, friends, all is well somewhere in the Lone Star State.  Check out after the jump for more information on the Stars week of games,injury recoveries, and analysis of the (Texas) Stars playoff hopes.

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More photos » Susan Walsh - AP

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Stargazing is a daily assortment of Dallas Stars  and NHL news, and whatever other random ramblings are bouncing around inside our heads.

Before the game yesterday, some Capitals faithful tried to convince us that the Stars were catching Washington at a good time. That they weren't playing all that well.

I think they're going to be fine.

The Stars were dominated early and often by the Capitals on nearly every shift. That the game ended with a Stars win isn't a true representation of one team in relation to the other and we all know it. What it is an indication of, is that THIS is the Marty Turco Joe Nieuwendyk thought he was keeping as the trade deadline passed him by. Turco completely stole the show last night, and was one of the lone bright spots for the Stars. Still, maybe this sparks them to a more complete effort in Buffalo and parts beyond.

Any discussion of who will start in net against the Sabres was rendered pretty moot last night, anyway. And the Stars can take their bow as the last team that allowed Alex Ovechkin to score on them. NHL Network did a nice highlight's package of Stephane Robidas' night against Ovi. Even though he scored two goals, Robi somehow played him pretty well. That's how good he is, and we're glad we won't see him again any time soon.

The Stars hadn't played in Washington since 2006. Even though they got the win, I think most Stars fans will join me in saying "Four more years!". They're going to be really good for a long time.

After the jump, quotes and reaction from the end of the Caps 13 game home win streak and a big big win for the Stars...

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More photos » Keith Srakocic - AP

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Poise [poiz] noun, verb, poised, pois-ing: a dignified, self-confident manner or bearing; composure; self-possession. steadiness; stability:

Up 3-1 in the second period with a quiet Mellon Arena and a rather agitated Marc Andre Fleury, I mistakenly tweeted the following: "They've given Lehtonen everything he needs now, but there's a ton of hockey left to play."

A two goal lead, at the time, felt like it would probably be good enough. This was going to be the day the offense unclogged the old pipes and everyone got a point! The bounces were going to go their way and the bitter taste of having given up 5 and 6 six goal in consecutive games would be washed away. 3 goals not even halfway through the game felt like an offensive bonanza. They were playing hard for their new guy, I was sure of it.

Then they pulled the rug out from underneath of us. Again. You'd think I would learn, but I so badly wanted to believe them, because no matter how silly it sounds: There really is still time. The Stars inexplicably lost no ground on Saturday night. They're still only 4 points back. A good week would bump them up the standings a spot or two. We saw it right before the break. The question is, do they have a good week in them? A look at the schedule would suggest otherwise.

Losing on the road to the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins and Sidney Crosby mightn't be anything to fret over, depending on how you go about it. Losing a 2 goal second period lead is. Coaches always talk about playing a "simple road game." You limit your mistakes, you play some defense, you hang back in the neutral zone and prevent the bevy of odd-man rushes a team like Pirttsburgh tries to create, particularly if you manage to grab a lead. Except they didn't do any of that. They weren't trying particularly hard to increase their lead, and they weren't making a concerted effort to shield Kari Lehtonen from the Penguin snipers.

They had the same meandering, scatter-brained, purposeless demeanor we saw against St. Louis and Los Angeles. They had no poise. Neither did their goaltender, harsh though it may be to point any fingers in his direction.

Today on Stargazing, we're going to talk about this some more, believe it or not...

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More photos » Tony Gutierrez - AP

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Stars fans have been waiting for the proverbial page to turn on the goaltending situation for almost a month now. As Marty Turco stood in his crease, watching Kari Lehtonen spill over the bench and skate toward him, I couldn't help but wonder: "Is this it"? Evidently the rest of the AAC was thinking the same thing, and people had one of two very different reactions. Many actually stood up (and this is Dallas now. People don't stand up for much of anything) and applauded, cheering with a kind of fervent enthusiasm that suggested a relishing of the demise of Marty Turco, rather than a cheer of encouragement for their new netminder.

The other half, of which I was a part, sat quietly and regarded the exchange on the ice as well as the reaction of our fellow patrons with great unease. Not even two hours earlier, this same crowd applauded a ceremony celebrating Turco's 500th game.

A bit dramatic? Sure it is. Turco would have been pulled in a game like that no matter who the backup was. Plus, we'll still see Marty plenty of times this season. Kari Lehtonen, by all accounts, is not yet conditioned for a heavy work load and the two will share time to close out the year.

Even still, there was an intangible weight to the moment that's not part of your garden variety backup/starter swap. Marty Turco's absence from the bench the remainder of the game did nothing to subtract from that feeling either, unrelated though it may have been.

As for the game itself, I'll let Stargazing do the talking. It was a complete failure from top to bottom. After the jump we'll see what the coach had to say about his teams performance, and we'll get reaction from all over the interwebs...

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