The Dallas Stars won a Game 1! This is the best thing to happen since 2020, when they won Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning...hey, wait a minute.

We know everyone loves a doomcast, but at this point we're constantly on the lookout for reasons to believe. So Wes and Mark worked through the night to find sustainability in the Stars' current good fortune (you know, the kind that doesn't involve counting on Mikko Rantanen to tally a hat trick in every remaining game).

In this edition, they discuss double-shifting Moose, dealing with the Jets' dominant top line, the return of Robo, how the game will change if Miro or Morrissey (or both) make it back in Game 2, what to expect from Pete DeBoer, and so much more.

A great penalty kill is like great insurance: You love to have it, but the more you use it, the costlier it gets. We're Stargazing, and we can come up with this stuff all day. And After Dark!

Can the Stars keep winning on the road – and, even more importantly, at home? Let's talk about it at Defending Big D. We'd love to discuss your thoughts in the next cast.

And please don't forget to rate, review and share wherever you listen. We're grateful for it. Enjoy.

The Dallas Stars are about to begin the fight for another Central Division championship – and to get there, they only have to knock off the team that earned the 2025 President's Trophy. (Oh, is that all?)

Brad McDonnell joined Wes and Mark to examine how the Stars match up with their Dirty Central cellmates, the Winnipeg Jets. In this edition, they discuss how Mason Marchment can help (and hurt) by creating chaos, where Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson will slot back into the lineup, and whether Connor Hellebuyck is human after all.

It's just like the regular season, with 62 percent more #MurderDeathKill! Welcome to Stargazing. Four more won't matter where we're going.

What do you want to see from the Stars as this series begins? Sound off at Defending Big D, and let's talk about it.

And please don’t forget to rate, review and share. Enjoy.

The Dallas Stars did it. They won a Round 1 against the Colorado Avalanche that, in a better world, would have been a Western Conference Final. It wasn't easy, or pretty, or predictable – but the Victory Green Gang gave themselves the chance to win a Central Division title with all their elite players healthy and back on the ice.

And if Game 7 taught us anything, it's that sometimes you need to rely on your superstars. That's why we turned to Taylor Baird – DBD's managing editor and NHL.com's go-to Stars contributor. In this edition, she and Wes talked about and. And along with the usual stat tricks, they ponder what the Stars are coming to mean to the DFW area's success-hungry sports fans.

Welcome to Stargazing. We love you.

What do you want to know about what's next? Tell us at Defending Big D. We'll get to all your questions in our Round 2 preview.

And please don’t forget to rate, review and share. Let's go.

Good news! The Dallas Stars can close the Round 1 deal on home ice. Bad news: The Colorado Avalanche can finish them off in their own barn. How do you play those match-ups?

Wes and Mark worked After Dark to put their thoughts together, and in this episode they discuss the advantages of shortening the Stars' bench, the dangers of relying on Pete DeBoer's playoffs streak, and why it may be a good idea for Mikko Rantanen to play 20 minutes in Game 7.

Who will be the hero the Stars need in Game 7? Tell us at Defending Big D. We not only read them, we bring them up in future casts. (Get your props while the getting's good!)

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The Dallas Stars keep defying the doomcast. After a stunning Game 4 bellyflop, they came back with a dominating performance in Game 5. Now the Round 1 outcome is once again in their hands – but it will proceed on the Colorado Avalanche's home ice. Can they finish the job before the series stretches to seven games?

Wes and Mark met up After Dark to pore over the possibilities. In the process, they parse the ongoing threat of Gabriel Landeskog, Lian Bichsel's debut as a meme, and why – right now – the Stars are a better team for having Oskar Bäck in the lineup.

Trying to modulate between delusional hope and irrational fear? We’re Stargazing After Dark, and that's pretty much all we do. It's in our contract, or something.

Want to share some pregame good vibes? Sound off at Defending Big D. We read all your comments, and we even bring them up in future casts.

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We did ask what would happen when the Colorado Avalanche got desperate, and it appears the Dallas Stars gave us an answer. A terrible answer, true, but they did provide one.

In this episode of Stargazing, Wes and Mark had plenty of dark thoughts about the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. But, as usual, they also found a couple of reasons to believe this game was an outlier. In the middle, they discussed getting the top line unstuck, the need for Esa Lindell to start providing offense again, and why Jake Oettinger had to take the walk of shame to make a point to the guys in front of him.

Two periods of bad podcasting and one period of damage control? We’re Stargazing After Dark, and sometimes we're a little too hard on ourselves. (We're Stars fans. It comes with the territory.)

Want to vent about whatever that was on Saturday night? Let us know at Defending Big D. We’ll bring it up in the next cast.

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Is this 2025, or 2015? The Dallas Stars won another nail-biter against the Colorado Avalanche, and it was largely thanks to Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. Yet the team continues to get contributions from up and (mostly) down the lineup. What is possible when everyone is That Guy?

In the latest episode of Stargazing, Wes and Mark got together After Dark to pore over the Stars' first road victory of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. And they found plenty to discuss — including the signs that point toward Miro Heiskanen's return, the real threat of Gabriel Landeskog, and what might happen now that the Avs are the ones who have to play from behind.

You can't control Silly Putty by squeezing it, so don't try it with the Dallas Stars, either. We're Stargazing After Dark, and we think about this sort of thing for a living. (Or at least for the lulz.)

What's on your mind? Let us know at Defending Big D. We’ll bring it up in the next cast.

And please don’t forget to rate, review and share. You’re why we do this.

You have to give the Dallas Stars credit: They know how to add extra thrills to their wins. They evened up Round 1 with a victory in overtime. Now they'll take their game on the road and look to grab another W in the Colorado Avalanche's home barn.

Wes Lawrence and Mark Zimmerman have gone over the data from the Stars' 4-3 win on Monday, and they're happy to remind you that they put Colin Blackwell out into the world. They also took a look at how the system is working, as well as huff a little copium concerning the fact that Miro Heiskanen is finally traveling with the team again.

Just want to see some high-end guys having high-end games? Welcome to Stargazing After Dark. We love you.

Have something else you want to talk about? Let us know at Defending Big D. We’ll almost certainly bring it up in the next cast.

And please don’t forget to rate, review and share. You're the best.