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Stargazing, A Dallas Stars Puckcast – Episode 280: Intrusive Thoughts

The Stars fell back to Earth just a bit over the weekend. Wes and Mark ask Robert Tiffin about whether panic is an option.

Posted on by Kathleen Tibbetts
Defending Big D's Stargazing podcast logo, featuring a Dallas Stars Victory Green cassette tape with tearaway jersey texture and nets over the sprocket holes, designed by Jason Lara
Logo design: Jason Lara | @NHLMaps

The Dallas Stars are pretty good at winning. They’ve even gotten good at winning games in which they didn’t play as well as their opponents. That’s one reason why it’s so frustrating to see the Stars’ vices become their manners…especially when they drop games that were in their reach.

What does it mean for the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs? Wes and Mark needed backup for this one, so they invited DBD alumnus Robert Tiffin – who’s now kind of everywhere, thanks to D Magazine and his own Stars Thoughts Substack. And they talk about everything — from odd-yet-effective set plays to messy zone exits, and from whether Jake Oettinger can really backstop the Stars to a Cup to how much it may (or may not) help when the team’s injured stars are back from injuries.

Now that they’re in the playoffs, maybe they just want to stay healthy and blow everything up in the first round. We’re Stargazing, and we think about this stuff all. the. time. And we’re only half-joking when we say that this episode is presented by StarsThoughts.com.

What’s your biggest worry about the state of the Stars? Tell us about it in the comments. We may bring up your points in the next podcast.

And please leave us a like, review or share wherever you listen, because we’re just about everywhere you are. Thanks!

Dropping Lines – Stargazing: A Dallas Stars Puckcast | Defending Big D

The Dallas Stars have visibly struggled with late-season injuries in the past couple of weeks. And nowhere has this been more apparent than in the depleted forward corps. How do you rotate lines when the second line is missing? In this episode, Wes and Mark talk about this in depth. They discuss whether Michael Bunting needs to play on the first line, the possibility that Tyler Myers has a Jordie Benn problem, the state of the defense, how the Stars' run-up to the Stanley Cup Playoffs is panning out, and – of course – who falls where on the Expected Rawr (xRawr) chart, now enhanced with up to 37 percent more made-up stats. You take two of your best players off the roster, and all of a sudden forward depth is an issue. We’re Stargazing, and we get it. We really do. Which Stars are in which xRawr quadrant? So far, Wes and Mark have calculated rankings for the following players, current and historic: Sam Steel Jason Spezza Alex Radulov (Yes, we are this committed to the bit. Get on board now, or risk an injury when you try to jump this train during the playoffs.) Let's talk more at Defending Big D. And don't forget to give us a rate, review, or share wherever you get your podcasts. That's, like, our whole thing right now. Welcome to Stargazing. We love you. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  1. Dropping Lines
  2. You're The Man Now, Dawg
  3. Post-Deadline
  4. Push Play
  5. Olympic Break Score Sheet
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