Defending Big D

Defending Big D Live Tonight @ 8pm CST

2010-03-17T20:16:55Z

Join myself and Pat Iverson tonight at 8:00pm CST for a new episode of Defending Big D Live, the best Dallas Stars podcast on the world wide web if we dare say so ourselves!

Tonight we'll be joined by Steven Meserve who is of course our AHL corespondent covering the Texas Stars and as well writes for his own fantastic blog Hundred Degree Hockey. He can also be found on Twitter @100DegreeHockey

Tonight especially we want to hear your voice and your opinion on the Stars and NHL hockey!! Phone calls are very welcome and you can reach the show at (347) 857-1323. If you're a little voice shy, you can also e-mail us at DBDLive@shaw.ca and send us questions or comments that we will read on the air!

That chat room will be open here closer to show time.

The show page is here at Blog Talk Radi o. We look forward to seeing you in the chat room. If you miss the show you can download it later from that page, or subscribe to us on iTunes!

Stargazing: Kari Lehtonen Stops 45 as Stars Hammer Sharks 8-2

2010-03-17T17:30:29Z

Isn't it fun to be able to laugh a little bit?

It may mean nothing, but last night's game was a bit of fun that was sorely needed by all Stars fans. We tuned in knowing that Nabokov was 8-0-0 in his last 9 starts in Dallas, that the Sharks had their last 4 at the AAC, and that they're in first place and the Stars are in...well, I don't want to look. So it was a pleasant surprise.

Still, there was business to attend to on Tuesday night, and that was business was Kari Lehtonen. I think most of us around here were more interested going into the game in watching Lehtonen work at home for the first time than the final score. Both turned out quite well, as luck would have it. It was the one month anniversary of Brandon Worley's Kari Lehtonen Film Review, and if you go back and take a look through that, I think you'll agree that we saw much of the same last night.

He made several stops because he's just flat out long. He maintains his butterfly position well most of the time and dominates the entire lower portion of the net. He also can get himself fouled up moving side to side and out of position, like on the Boyle goal. He showed a lot of potential last night and didn't seem to wear down like he did in the Pittsburgh game. Then again, energy is probably easier to come by when you're at home and your team is hanging 8 on the best team in the conference. I thought he also was the benefit of some bounces that could have gone either way, and rebounds that didn't find San Jose sticks, but hey, that's hockey.

Razor said after the game that it's a nice "building block" for him to use in his comeback. That about sums it up. It's just one game, but it can be a confidence builder going forward. I know he raised my confidence a bit.

Reminder: Defending Big D Live is on the air tonight @ 8pm CDT.

Art will be joined by Pat, and our AHL correspondent Stephen, and hopefully by you. Art really wants to take your phone calls tonight, folks, please come around and share your thought's on all things Stars.

After the jump, should we expect a Stephane Robidas suspension? And lot's of quotes and thoughts from the Shark-pounding last night...

I was going to lead with a Robidas blurb, but there aren't any. This is a good sign. It really looked like just a hockey play to me, and I don't think it necessarily surprised Clowe, either. Stephane Robidas is a pretty well respected competitor around the league and I don't think anyone sees that hit as reckless or malicious. It was deserving of a boarding call, for sure. Some nights, a long time ago, it might have been a 2 minute boarding call. In these troubled times, however, he gets 5 minutes and the game. If you ask me that's punishment enough, but the league will be obligated to automatically review it after the game misconduct. We'll wait and see but it's not sounding like a big deal yet this morning.

Check out Fear the Fin for all of your Shark related needs:

How will the Sharks recover? Well, they need better play from Nabokov. That's the primary concern. His save percentage has taken a tumble in the last few weeks, and tonight was no help. The defense around him has to be better as well, and anyone who thinks that Vlasic isn't missed is crazy.

The offense, although they managed 46 shots on Lehtonen, were inconsistent on the forecheck and turned the puck over consistently. The forwards need to simplify their game in order to generate opportunities, and must go after second chances and rebounds furiously.

I would not want to be in the Sharks dressing room tonight, and I doubt the players want to be there, either. Instead of taking advantage of a weak opponent, they dropped their worst game of the year after an effortless tilt versus Anaheim on Sunday.

The Mercury News paints a pretty grim picture for a team with 96 points...

This one — an 8-2 humiliation Tuesday night by a Dallas Stars team with only the faintest of playoffs hopes — hurt more than the others.

The immediate response from coach Todd McLellan was a previously unscheduled practice here at 10 a.m. today before the team flies to Vancouver, but not even that seemed harsh enough.

"We should have three practices tomorrow," said a discouraged Ryane Clowe, dropping an expletive or two into his response. "Maybe set up a gantlet out there to get guys to compete."

Failure to compete was the general explanation for everything that went wrong for the Western Conference-leading Sharks against Dallas. And what compounded the problem was that the rout came just 48 hours after San Jose embarrassed itself in a 4-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.

"The scoreboard doesn't lie tonight — it went from bad to worse," McLellan said. "I can't stand here and make excuses for them. Obviously everybody watched it and saw how poorly we played."

With the win, Marc Crawford gets the 500th in his career. Mike Heika put together a list of coaches wit h500 victories, featuring two Dallas Star coaches now...

11. Ken Hitchcock, 534
12. Joel Quenneville, 527
13. Pat Burns, 501
14. Toe Blake, 500
15. Marc Crawford, 500

Check out the DMN Stars blog for the complete list.

Kari Lehtonen gets some love over at ESPN Dallas:

Final tally: 47 shots by San Jose, 45 saves by Lehtonen. It was easily Lehtonen's best performance as a Star and one of the best of his six-year career. And the 8-2 win eased a lot of the frustration that the Stars and their fans had been experiencing because of their post-Olympic struggles.

Not far removed from a pair of back surgeries, Lehtonen was feeling great Tuesday after picking up his first win since April of 2009.

"I don't know if (my health) is 100 percent, but it was a huge step in the right direction," Lehtonen said. "It was nice to see I could play at this level again."

The next question: Can he do it again? The Stars play host to Philadelphia on Thursday and coach Marc Crawford left no doubt that Lehtonen will be back in goal for that game.

Because it doesn't even seem worthy of discussion at this point, I am not going to ask why the Dallas defense allowed 47 shots.

Lehtonen earns Puck Daddy's #1 Star of the night. Quite an honor...

No. 1 Star: Kari Lehtonen, Dallas Stars

On paper it was a tall order, a starting assignment against the potent San Jose Sharks, but Lehtonen was up to the task, turning aside 45 of 47 shots as the Stars rolled to a surprising 8-2 rout. Don't let the final score throw you; San Jose threw constant pressure at Lehtonen, and the importance of his work, especially early, should not be understated. Marc Crawford has already given Lehtonen the starting assignment for Thursday's match against Philadelphia, and if Lehtonen can establish any momentum down the stretch, it could be the final push that gets Marty Turco out of town. If you'd like to see some video evidence of Lehtonen's fine play, check out this dazzling toe save on Dany Heatley.

Later in that post, they spelled it "Brandon Morrow," (they may since fixed it) and in the ESPN highlights package they also say "Brandon Morrow." This isn't a new player in the league, people...

Quotes from Stars PR/Dallas Morning News:

Brenden Morrow:

"We did a lot of good things early and we got some bounces to go our way. Kari gave us some confidence, he made some real big saves for us and we snapped the puck around pretty good. I don't know where it came from. Pretty much every scoring opportunity, we seemed to execute."

"They're pretty explosive. They throw a lot of pucks at the net and they've got those big guys that can get to the rebounds, but we did a pretty good job keeping them to the outside. When they did get those lanes to get pucks to the net, Kari made the saves and we were able to clear pucks. I think maybe they were fishing a little bit, looking offensive on the power play, and we got some bounces to go our way. We had two shorthanded goals, and we haven't done that all year."

Kari Lehtonen:

"That was huge. I've been here now for maybe eight games, and I was thinking before the game that every game, the other team has scored first. It's kind of the mindset - I really wanted to see us score first and that happened, so I think that helped everybody and gave everybody a boost. That helped me a lot also, because we started scoring in the early second period. That was nice."

"It's the best it's been. I don't know if it's 100-percent. I think it needs a few more games, but it was a huge step in the right direction, and it was nice to see that I'm able to play at this level again."

"The whole day is totally different when you know you're going to play. I think the first game in Pittsburgh I was a little bit too excited, and it ended up going pretty badly. I was able to be more calm in net, and that really works for me best. I think I gave some rebounds that I wasn't happy about, but it was great to see our guys battling for those and [San Jose] didn't have a lot of second chances."

Mike Ribeiro:

"You need your goaltender to make saves, and he was big for us tonight. We managed to score when we had our chances, but I think overall we didn't give them much 5-on-5, and I think that's important, especially when you're giving up six goals a game like we have since we got back. So it was important to keep it tight and I think we did that."

"[Morrow] has been keeping the puck longer now. [Segal] is right-handed. I always liked to play with a left and right-handed player, because it gives you different space on the ice for them to shoot. We just tried to keep it simple, we played a little bit more behind their net, we put pucks behind their D's and forecheck. I think when you do that, you don't have turnovers, and it's easier to play."

Presenting: Brandon Segal

2010-03-17T15:28:31Z

More photos » Ross Franklin - AP

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Some of you might be wondering why we never really took time to introduce Brandon Segal to you. I wish I could give a good reason.

We just...didn't.

In fact, my reaction when I heard the Dallas Stars had picked him up off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings was "Who?". I then shrugged and continued with whatever I was doing at the time.

Well since then, Brandon Segal has made quite an impression on Stars fans. And after his 2-point performance last night, we've decided to formally introduce Stars fans to the enigmatic Brandon Segal.

Follow the jump for a closer look at our new friend, video, and a Kings perspective on why he was out the door in L.A. ...

Segal is the definition of a 'journeyman' player. Thing is, he's only 26. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Nashville Predators. He was then traded to the Anaheim Ducks. Then he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Last July, he signed with the Los Angeles Kings. And then the Dallas Stars picked him up off waivers in February.

Quite the journey, huh? It seems that he may have finally found a home here in Dallas, and here's why.

He's the kind of player the Stars generally like to have. First of all, he's gritty forward who will win puck battles and contribute a physical game along the boards. In that sense, the Stars knew that was what they were getting. What I don't think they knew they were getting was a forward with a scoring touch.

In 25 games with the Kings this season, Segal had only two points. One goal, one assist. In only 7 games with the Dallas Stars, Segal has 8 points. Five goals, three assists. His shot percentage is a ridiculous 45.5%.

We all love the scoring. But what I love about Brandon Segal is his honorable play and his leadership.

Check out this fight between Segal and Adam McQuaid of the Boston Bruins earlier this year ((via hockeyfightsdotcom):

It's an unwritten code in hockey that you stand up for the hits you throw. Just ask James Neal, who accepted a fight from Martin Hanzal after knocking Petr Prucha unconscious before the Olympic Break. Here, Segal bangs McQuaid into the boards, McQuaid gets angry and challenges Segal to a fight, and Segal obliges.

It's not the only time this year it's happened:

Matt Hendricks vs Brandon Segal Mar 14, 2010 (via hockeyfightsdotcom)

Here we see Segal stepping up and defending a teammate after a hard hit. These fights tell me that Brandon Segal isn't a fighter for fighting's sake. He fights when the time calls for it, and is generally responsible about it. He is the anti-Krys Barch.

Now for the Kings' perspective, I asked our friends from Jewels From The Crown for their thoughts. Both Connie and Quisp considered losing Segal to be all about Richard Clune:

Connie:

Kings fans hadn't seen too much of Brandon Segal before he was picked up by Dallas off waivers. I honestly hadn't thought too much of him as a player since he was essentially a roster spot filler until Richard Clune returned to the lineup. I wasn't devastated to see him go nor was I excited to see him gone from the roster. He hadn't had enough time to make a huge impact on the team one way or the other. My conclusion was that I was neutral on any topic where Segal was involved.

Quisp:

Probably the thing that cost Segal his spot on the Kings was that Rich Clune (whom we got from you, as you know, for the great Lauri Tukonen) was finally ready to be recalled. Clune had essentially made the team out of camp but got injured. So Clune was called up, and basically his job and Segal's overlap quite a bit. Willing to hit, willing to fight, energy, and with some offensive ability etc..

So far, Segal has made quite the splash with Dallas. Is this just a flash in the pan caused by a change in scenery, or is he really a perfect fit for this team? If he continues to impress, Brandon Segal may have just found himself a home here in Big D.

They Got A Bigger Boat! Stars Pound On Sharks 8-2

2010-03-17T04:38:19Z

More photos » Mike Fuentes - AP

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Wow. Where did that come from?! Yes an 8-2 win over San Jose tonight seemed very unlikely, but was it really? Or maybe it was a case of everything coming together perfectly for this Stars team after two fairly decent efforts in losing causes the previous two games?

Is this the start of a miracle run to the playoffs led by Kari Lehtonen who was in a word excellent? Was this one last powerful but futile haymaker thrown by a team that may be long on fighting spirit but short on time left to catch anyone? Did the Stars come out with their best game of the year and show exactly what they can do? Or is this a product of a Sharks team stumbling to the finish of the season?

Does any of these questions matter? Of course not.

For once Stars fans, lets not look back with gritted teeth and wonder why we hadn't seen this from our boys the last few months and lets not look forward to the still very difficult road ahead of the Stars where we grit our teeth and fear the worst is to come. Lets just savor the win and the fact that on this single night the Stars looked to be the alpha males of the Pacific division once again.

Where do I even start when trying to recap this game? Eight goals in a single game - two of them shorthanded in the third period?! Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow both blowing up with four points on the night? Brandon Segal continuing his great play and proving to not only be the best waiver pick up the Stars had all season, but the best waiver pick up made in the NHL all season? The team's defensive corps playing as well as can be expected against a usually high voltage Sharks offense? The way they rallied in the third when it looked like San Jose was ready to pull off a third period comeback that they have been getting fairly adept at pulling off lately?

For a while there at the start it kinda looked like in the first period like we were going to have a very close, back and forth game on our hands as San Jose did come out pretty well but if you ask me, (and we'll assume you did since you're reading this) three key issues sealed their fate early on and locked up the win for the Stars.

Firstly Lehtonen shut the door early in the first on some decent Sharks chances. We had all heard the hype about Kari's big starting debut at the AAC tonight and how this was going to be the first real good look the Stars were going to get at someone they may want to keep around for the next few seasons. While I won't come out and say that he convinced anyone that he'll be the starting guy in 2010-11, he sure did take a nice first step towards that spot with this start. He stayed big and high in his net, his legs were making sure nothing came easy along the ice and his glove was quick.

Secondly, San Jose got into penalty trouble and the Stars finally capitalized on the power play with a Brad Richards goal midway through the first. Suddenly you could tell the entire Stars bench had an air of confidence and it showed on the ice.

Lastly, Toby Peterson's goal early in the second period where by all rights it should have been an icing play, but somehow the Sharks defender went to the wrong side of the net to touch up the puck, Evgeni Nabokov refused to push it away from his net when it came bouncing back from the boards and Toby's hard work to poke that loose puck past a sleeping Nabokov made it a 3-0 game at that point.

A Brenden Morrow goal three minutes after that made it 4-0 and ended Nabokov's night... Think he's really sick of Morrow by now?

Yes the Sharks did push back and I am sure most of us gasped a little bit when the Stars started getting into a bit of penalty trouble themselves starting with what some felt was a questionable boarding major on Stephane Robidas that left the Stars with only five defensemen on the bench. Devin Setoguchi made it a 4-2 game not even a minute into the third period and I am sure everyone watching went "here we go again..."

But a funny thing happened on the way to the Stars rolling over and giving up a lead again... They didn't. Instead they came through with two amazing shorthanded goals within four minutes of each other to make it 6-2 and the route - albeit a little late in the game - was on.

Was it a perfect game for Dallas? Not really. Does it mean the Stars are ready for a postseason run? Probably not.

None of that matters. Stars fans get to enjoy a great night of hockey where the good guys for once were the bullies doing whatever they wanted on the ice, whenever they wanted it.

The Defending Big D 3 & 38th Stars

1st Star - Mike Ribeiro (DAL): You could just tell he was set for a big game couldn't you? By the way he's officially on fiyah as he has 14 points in his last 12 games.

2nd Star - Brenden Morrow (DAL): Most people have nightmares of demons and monsters... Evgeni Nabokov sees only images of Morrow in his.

3rd Star - Kari Lehtonen (DAL): Welcome to Dallas kid! Can we have some more?

38th Star - Manny Malhotra (SJ): It was just a few days ago I was hearing the Sharks play by play team singing the praises of how important this guy is to their team.. I think they forgot that they were in fact talking about Manny Malhotra. He gave them a not-so-gentle reminder tonight I am sure.

Gameday Thread: San Jose Sharks @ Dallas Stars

2010-03-16T23:15:09Z

Game 69: San Jose Sharks @ Dallas Stars

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 · 7:30 p.m. CDT

American Airlines Center - Dallas, TX

Fear The Fin || Sharks vs Stars coverage

Name the next Dallas Star appendix to go, win a prize!

Gameday Preview: San Jose Sharks @ Dallas Stars (7:30pm CDT)

2010-03-16T17:21:22Z

Next Game

San Jose Sharks
@ Dallas Stars

Tuesday, Mar 16, 2010, 7:30 PM CDT
American Airlines Center

Local TV: FSSW

Radio: 1310 The Ticket (listen online @ stars.nhl.com)

Complete Coverage >

Since the Olympic break, the Sharks are 3-2-1. They've scored 20 goals in that time, and currently sit first in the Western Conference with a gaudy 96 points. They're 3rd in the league in goal scoring, 6th in GAA, 4th on the PP, and 1st overall on the PK, and yet somehow, some Shark fans these days acting nuttier than a squirrels cheeks in October. They're worried about collapse. Their players are worried about "coasting." Fear the Fin is counting the days since their last shutout?

Like when the Stars rolled into PITT a couple of weeks ago and the talk was "who was good enough to make their fourth line," it feels like Shark fans are trying to figure out which Mercedes they're going to drive to the super exclusive rich people club today, while Stars fans are rooting around in the gutter, desperately seeking their next meal. We're just hoping to win a game here and there. It's a truly dichotomous portrait of two fan bases.

The big story for Dallas tonight is the first home start for Kari Lehtonen, who will presumably start seeing more time down the stretch as the playoff race gets out of reach. It's hard to think of a better test, as the Sharks will throw a lot of rubber his way. They average the 6th most shots per game at 32.0.

San Jose has won their last 4 games at American Airlines Center going back to last season, and won their only game in Dallas this year in December 4-2. The Stars won both games in San Jose this year in shootouts. This is the first of three meetings in the next 16 days between the two.

Follow the jump for even more on the two teams and a Mike Modano update...

The Stars:

The good news coming out of the Modano household this morning is that his appendix had not ruptured, so his return timetable is thought to be as little as two weeks. He texted various media and said he was doing just fine after the surgery. Get well soon, Mike.

The lines on Sunday were (or at least started as)

Eriksson Richards Ott
Morrow Ribeiro Segal
Neal Benn Lehteinen
Barch Modano Petersen

So Modano's absence on the 4th line can be supplemented with Brian Sutherby, but the special teams are another matter. Then again, the special teams sunk them on Sunday, so change might not necessarily be a bad thing.

Dallas employed a more defensive oriented game plan against Los Angeles on Friday, and early in the Colorado game to varying degrees of success. Will Crawford keep that mind set to help his new goaltender out?

Said Brenden Morrow after the Avalanche game: "When you give up five goals, it's tough to win in this league," captain Brenden Morrow said. "Over my years in Dallas, that's not been indicative of our team. We've always been tough defensively. ... We've been soft in those areas this year."

The Sharks:

You can check out our friends at Fear The Fin as they preview tonight's action:

As this season progresses and I see these kinds of results from the Stars, I keep wondering how will the club's ownership, management and fans feel when Dave Tippett gets Jack Adams Award this June?

But let's not concern ourselves with the Stars. Needless to say, with recent lackluster performances, and strong words of general dissatisfaction from Todd McLellan and Dan Boyle, the Sharks must take two points tonight.

What matters even more is what we'll actually see on the ice. We've already touched upon the general lack of consistent scoring and a wild line shuffling of forwards that McLellan is playing with, but let's touch upon another concerning trend that's been slowly emerging over the past few weeks.

Yes, we know. It hurts.

Or check out SB Nation option #2: Battle of California has they compare Sharks to Star Trek characters.

Does it seem odd to anyone else that the Stars and Sharks have gone an entire three months without seeing each other?

Injuries:

Dallas: Mike Modano (appendix), Tom Wandell (knee) are out. Nick Grossman (back) is questionable.

San Jose: Marc-Edouard Vlasic (knee) is out.

Kari Lehtonen's Real Audition Begins Tonight

2010-03-16T12:00:29Z

More photos » Tony Gutierrez - AP

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I realize we've seen him already. He's made two relief appearances after Turco received the dreaded yank, and his first start as a Dallas Star in Pittsburgh was as memorable as it was successful, but the real tryout starts tonight against San Jose.

If we're all being truthful with ourselves, I think we all knew that Marty Turco was going to get the majority of the starts down the stretch because he gave this team the best chance to win. He probably still does. Does that mean we should take Lehtonen's start tonight as a kind of subtle white flag? That line of thinking may have merit, but this Lehtonen start could be as much about Marty getting pulled against Colorado as it is about the standings.

Whatever the case, reality will soon be acknowledged by coach and player alike, and it clears the way for an increased work load for lanky-Finn. He has a new boss to impress and nothing to lose. His conditioning is said to be improving, so let's see it on the ice. From here on out, it's my rather meaningless opinion that Kari Lehtonen should get most of the starts for this team regardless of result. I love Marty Turco, but the team has to turn to the page and look to the future at some point.

I hope to see lots of Lehtonen, if for no other reason than to boost everyone's confidence in him heading into the summer. If we're still being truthful, I think we have to say that we haven't been really impressed with what we've seen so far, small though the sample size may be. He needs more time. Let's see that he gets it.

This post-Olympic swoon could possibly be a positive for one man and one man only: Kari Lehtonen. It's your stage now, sir. Earn that contract, starting tonight.

And now, a few Tuesday Morning Musing's on all things NHL...

As thoroughly depressing as it is that the Phoenix Coyotes have 89 points with 13 games to play (seriously?), it would be flat out fantastic if they managed to catch the Sharks, only seven points ahead, before the season runs out. The Stars play the Sharks 3 times in the next 16 days and can really help out there.

Follow the jump for more...

After watching some player interviews on NHL network of guys actually defending Alex Ovechkin, it's hard to know what to think. I'd like to think that the suspension was earned more as a repeat offender and a guy who plays the game somewhat recklessly on a regular basis than for the Campbell hit specifically. Either way the wheel of justice is incomparably inconsistent when you think of the hits this year that did not warrant suspensions. It's just fun to watch the Twitter-bicker from some that says "He only got 2 games bc he's Ovechkin!!," and conversely "He would have gotten way more if his name wasn't Ovechkin!!"
Punishing people with the result of the hit more in mind than the act of is stupid. It was stupid last season and it will be stupid next season. Just sayin...
Directv and Versus finally kissed and made up today. Now you can watch Penguins/Flyers, Penguins/Rangers, Capitals/Penguins, Capitals/Red Wings, Penguins/Red Wings, and Red Wings/Red Wings (trust me, they'll find a way) all season long next year at start times inconvenient for anyone not living on the east coast. W00t. Still, you have to give credit to Versus for their playoff coverage last year. Along with NHL Network, it's a potent first-round combination.
I want to reiterate my sadness at the Mike Modano situation. On the bright side his intentions might be made pretty clear after seeing how hard he works to get back this season. If he doesn't get back this season, I expect him to be back next year, if for no other reason than this: we want to say goodbye, Mike, and we expect to be given a proper opportunity.
I am disappointed in you, Calgary. Very disappointed.

Go Stars?

Reminder: One week from tonight is the first official watching party for Defending Big D @ Frankie's in Lewisville. I'll be reminding you mercilessly throughout the week.

Modano Out After Emergency Appendectomy

2010-03-15T22:36:57Z

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.

Texas Stars Report: Playoff Picture Getting Clearer By The Day

2010-03-15T21:30:21Z

All across the AHL, playoff dreams are beginning to be realized or slowly starting to drift away. In the case of your Texas Stars, playoff hopes are strong, and there is even a chance for home ice advantage in the first round. There is a silver lining somewhere in this Stars organization.

Texas played three games this week, all against divisional opponents. After the jump, we'll take a look at those games, have some discussion of playoff scenarios, see which Dallas Star surprised us by showing up on the Texas Stars playoff roster, and talk about the future of professional hockey in Austin, Texas.

Putting the Franchise Rumors to Rest
(HDH blog link)

If you've been reading the Texas Stars Report regularly, you are already familiar with the Stars situation involving the temporary status of their franchise for the 2009-10 season. If you aren't, I would recommend reading up on it in my previous posts here.

The fan rumblings about the future of hockey in Austin had begun to reach a dull roar and I decided it was time to put something out there to answer those fan questions. Based on my research and interviews, I believe now that there is no way the Stars will leave Austin after this season.

The basics of it are mostly financial. The Stars rank in the top 5 in the league in revenue and top 10 in ticket sales. They also rank #11 in the league in average attendance. Seriously. If you don't believe me, check out the AHL's attendance records here. And even that's a little wrong since Syracuse, the team in 10th place, had an outdoor game that pulled it 21,000, which significantly skews their numbers.

I gather a few quotes from employees, who are much less worried about the situation than fans. Here is the most telling one of all:

"I am more confident now that we will have a team next year than I was when this same situation came up about us having a team for [the 2009-2010] season."

The league is a business. The financial success of the Texas Stars is too much to turn away when other clubs are struggling.

Additionally, you cannot deny that the on-ice product put out by the Stars is superb and the team competes on a high level in the AHL. It is likely they will host some playoff games in their very first season in the AHL. That's pretty impressive. When it all comes together, the Texas Stars have a strong case to stay in the league whether it's by purchasing another franchise or getting another temporary license.

Playoff Projections Page
(HDH blog link)

I was inspired by Brandon Bibb's post here about playoff projections using math. I have created a permanent page that is updated with data from a Google Spreadsheet that I created. It attempts to predict who will finish where and how many points are needed to get to a certain position. The Stars are looking pretty good, according to the sheet, but we'll get to that later.

Brent Krahn returns to shut down Peoria Rivermen at home, 3-2
(HDH blog link)

Texas netminder, Brent Krahn, returned to the crease for the first time since late November on Wednesday night, and his return was indeed triumphant. The Peoria Rivermen (St. Louis Blues) have given Texas fits this year. Despite Peoria's less than impressive overall record, Texas was only 2-3-1 against them coming into the game. The Rivermen were pretty significantly changed by the trade deadline as well.

Peoria opened the scoring in the contest with a shot from Justin Fletcher that was wired to the top right corner. Texas answered back shorthanded with three minutes left in the first when Colton Sceviour beat Joe Fallon backhand five-hole for a 1-1 score. Peoria scored in the power play and the second and so did Texas with one from Francis Wathier that went in from behind the goal line after bouncing off the goalie's right shoulder.

Aaron Gagnon finished the scoring for Texas as he collected a rebound off Fallon for his 18th of the year. Raymond Sawada also had a big hit in the final three minutes of the game that (reportedly) broke Jonas Junland's arm.

Stars Clear Day roster set
(HDH blog link)

The Clear Day roster is a bit of a new thing for people unfamilar with the AHL. It occurs approximately one week after the NHL trade deadline. All teams must have submitted their clear day roster by 2 PM CST on March 10th this year. Here's a good explanation from the AHL of what the Clear Day roster means:

Each Clear Day roster consists of a maximum of 22 players. According to AHL by-laws, only those players listed on a team’s Clear Day roster are eligible to compete in the remainder of the 2009-10 AHL regular season and in the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs, unless emergency conditions arise as a result of recall, injury or suspension.

Teams may also add signed junior players or players on amateur tryout contracts, only after their respective junior or college seasons are complete.

So, it's pretty significant to get named to the clear day roster. If you aren't on this list, you can't play for the rest of the season unless three players on the list are hurt, called up, or suspended. With that said, here is the list that Texas submitted:

Goalies (2): Matt Climie (G) and Brent Krahn (G)

Forwards (13): Mathieu Beaudoin, Jamie Benn, Aaron Gagnon, Sergei Korostin, Perttu Lindgren, Scott McCulloch, Travis Morin, Warren Peters, Greg Rallo, Raymond Sawada, Colton Sceviour, Francis Wathier, and Landon Wilson

Defensemen (7): Maxime Fortunus, Ethan Graham, Andrew Hutchinson, Dan Jancevski, Trevor Ludwig, Garrett Stafford, and Matt Stephenson

Any names on that list jump out at you? One certainly should. Jamie Benn was named to the Stars Clear Day Roster and will be eligible to play in the Calder Cup Playoffs when the Stars season is over. I think it's a smart move for the Stars. Benn never played in the minors before joining the Dallas Stars, jumping directly from the Kelowna Rockets to the NHL. Multiple past Stars have had opportunities like this, such as Mark Fistric, who played for the Manitoba Moose (Vancouver Canucks) last year in their run to the final against the Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals).

My only question about playing Benn is his position. We know he's a natural winger, but Crawford's put him at center for much of the season. Texas has 5 centers already and one of them (Greg Rallo) is already playing wing. It really depends if Dallas sees the center experiment becoming a permanent fixture for Benn.

Texas falls 2-1 against determined Rampage
(HDH blog link)

I personally traveled to this away game at the AT&T Center to watch the Stars take on the San Antonio Rampage (Phoenix Coyotes). I will be writing something up this week about my thoughts on the experience at a game in San Antonio versus Cedar Park. It was a great trip despite the loss.

Texas gave up the first goal on the power play to Alexandre Picard, who was recently traded to the team. The Rampage were gutted by the trade deadline, losing their top netminder and two of their top five scoring forwards. Aaron Gagnon scored the lone goal for Texas on a rebound in the 2nd period. San Antonio scored the only goal of the third, a redirection just in front of Texas netminder Matt Climie that beat him five-hole.

Texas defeats San Antonio 5-4 on third period flurry
(HDH blog link)

I was unable to attend Saturday night's game myself, due to previous commitments to present at South by Southwest here in Austin. Texas had their 3rd ever sellout in the Cedar Park Center, and the fans were treated to offensive fireworks in the third. Brent Krahn collected his 13th win of the season (12-2-0) as Texas got goals from Ray Sawada, Francis Wathier (2), Travis Morin, and Aaron Gagnon on the night. Wathier received the 1st star on the night for his 3 point game (2-1-3). The line of Sawada-Peters-Wathier combined for three of the five Texas goals. With his goal in Saturday's game, Aaron Gagnon now leads all Texas Stars in goals with 20. Five of the nine goals scored in the game were put in during an eleven minute span in the third period from the 7th to 18th minute.

Playoff Picture

Texas picked up four of six possible points this week against two teams that are battling to get into the playoff picture themselves. As the current standings have it, Peoria and San Antonio are both on the outside looking in. Either one could jump past the Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville Predators) to take over fourth place.

No one in the West Division has clinched a playoff spot or been eliminated yet. The Chicago Wolves (Atlanta Thrashers) lead the division by a healthy margin. Texas and the Rockford IceHogs (Chicago Blackhawks) look to be separated by a significant margin (5 points more for Rockford) but closer inspection reveals that Texas has four games in hand over the IceHogs. If they were to continue on their current points pace, they would both finish the season at 97 points. The separation between the two teams is crucial. In the AHL, there is a divisional playoff round, followed by conference, then league. First seeded team in each division plays fourth, and second plays third. Clearly, first and second seeds get home ice advantage. Texas needs to step it up to get the chance to seal home ice advantage for the first round.

Around the AHL, only two teams have clinched playoff spots, Hershey (Washington Capitals) and Hamilton (Montreal Canadiens). Chicago, Rockford, the Albany River Rats (Carolina Hurricanes), and the Worcester Sharks (San Jose Sharks) are among the leaders in current "magic" number to get into the playoffs. There have been no teams eliminated from the playoff race yet, but the Springfield Falcons (Edmonton Oilers) are the closest with only 5 points left between them and a summer of golfing. It has not been a happy year for Oil fans.

The Week Ahead

The Stars are off until Thursday this week when they battle the Milwaukee Admirals at home. Then Texas embarks on their longest road trip of the year, a seven-game in twelve days stretch that sees them play in five cities (none of the repeats are back-to-back though). The road trip opens in Rockford against the IceHogs on Saturday followed by a matinee game on Sunday against the Peoria Rivermen.

Who's Hot

Aaron Gagnon is certainly the story of the week. The Stars centerman earned 6 points (3-3-6) and is now the Stars leading goal scorer and point earner (20-26-46). Francis Wathier also had one heck of a week with 5 points (3-2-5) and ten PIMs.

Who's Not

Dan Jancevski's compete level has just not been there over the past week and perhaps over the past few weeks. Despite a pair of assists on the week, Jancevski had a few too many times that it seemed like he was not giving the game his all.

Injury report

LW Landon Wilson is out again with an upper-body issue.

You can always follow the Texas Stars by reading my blog at HundredDegreeHockey.com or following me on Twitter@100degreehockey.

DirecTV and Versus Come to an Agreement

2010-03-15T20:53:05Z

DirecTV and Versus Come to an Agreement

Per Greg Wyshynski.

Or at least that's what the byline above the story says.

Anyway, those of you who have DirecTV should see it reappear on Channel 603 after 6:00 pm CDT tonight.

And you'll be pleased to know I will no longer laugh maniacally at you DirecTV customers since I've had it all year long on U-Verse.

Besides, you guys can still get Center Ice. I, sadly, still cannot.

Kari Lehtonen To Start Tuesday Against Sharks

2010-03-15T18:44:18Z

Kari Lehtonen To Start Tuesday Against Sharks

The Dallas Morning News and Mark Stepneski both report that the big news out of practice is that Kari Lehtonen will start against San Jose on Tuesday.

"I think I am more ready now than I was in Pittsburgh," said Lehtonen. "Now I just need to go out there and help this team. I am confident I can do that."

He allowed six goals in his first start as a Dallas Star in Pittsburgh on March 6th.

3/15 Western Conference Playoff Race Update

2010-03-15T17:00:31Z

We know that some people will never say die. They refuse to give up until it's over. They will never surrender. They were unperturbed when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor. So we present the following chart as a public service. I cleaned up the format of the table but unfortunately, I cannot fudge the numbers to make the Stars' playoff picture any rosier.

As of now, the cut line in the Western Conference is holding steady at 94 points. And if the playoffs started today, Detroit would get the nod over Calgary by virtue of a one point lead in the standings. If both teams maintain their current pace, Detroit would get the nod by that same one point margin.

Also please note, this is an analysis that is based solely on projections which can change from game to game. I will note, however, that the 94 point cut line has stayed consistent ever since the Olympics ended.

Now on to the projections. Before you do, you might want to drawn your sorrows with a pint of Guinness (I am part Irish after all)...

Rank	Team	Pts Remain	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th
1	San Jose	28	20	17	10	9	7	5	0	Clinch
2	Chicago	28	22	19	12	11	9	7	2	0
3	Phoenix	26	Elim	24	17	16	14	12	7	5
4	Vancouver	28	Elim	26	19	18	16	14	9	7
5	Los Angeles	28	Elim	Elim	21	20	18	16	11	9
6	Colorado	28	Elim	Elim	22	21	19	17	12	10
7	Nashville	26	Elim	Elim	25	24	22	20	15	13
8	Detroit	28	Elim	Elim	28	27	25	23	18	16
9	Calgary	30	Elim	Elim	Elim	28	26	24	19	17
10	St. Louis	28	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	23	21
11	Minnesota	28	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	24	22
12	Dallas	28	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	25	23
13	Anaheim	28	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	26	24
14	Columbus	26	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim
15	Edmonton	28	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim	Elim

When the Olympics ended and I posted an update two weeks ago, the Stars magic number was 25 points out of 42 to at least put themselves into position to make the playoffs. Today, that figure is down to just 23 out 28.

Going on a run like that (.821), after not being able to win three games in a row all season long is starting to move from "unlikely" territory to something else entirely. Please use your own colorful adjective with offensive modifier.

One way to go .821 and get to 94 points is to go 9-0-5. So all they have to do is knock a few of those of those shootout losses out and they'll be well on their way, right?

The Top 5 Reasons to Keep Watching Dallas Stars Hockey

2010-03-15T11:00:42Z

More photos » Sharon Ellman - AP

Browse more photos »

Marc Crawford, to borrow a phrase Mike Heika used today on his blog, remains "defiant in his optimism" regarding the Stars chances at playing more than 82 meaningful games. We can't blame him. It's his job. The general who knows his troops are hopelessly out-numbered cannot admit defeat to his men. Everyone wants to keep a brave face. Everyone wants to fight to the death, and more importantly, everyone answers to someone. The players and coaches will play their roles well until the math runs out. GM Joe is watching through his budget-colored-binoculars, after all.

Luckily the rest of us can be a bit more candid in our assessment of the situation, and that assessments is considerably less than good.

Were the Stars season a curling match, (damn you, Winter Olympics) the time for handshakes would be fast approaching, if not here already. Alas, hockey is a business, and every game represents revenue streams and contract commitments left and right. The feeling of the inevitable must unfortunately make way for the somewhat meaningless hockey that will ensue, and perhaps the team will get the chance to spoil someone else's season along the way.

But what if it's not meaningless at all? Kicking this thing while it's down will get it's fair run on this blog, we promise you that, but in the mean time, we have 14 games to watch. My Windows calculator tells me that's 17% of the season. It also told me to stop using Firefox. Weird.

Anyway, this morning there will be no autopsy. Let's take a look instead at the 5 best things to watch and look forward to as April 10th nears...

#5. Kari Lehtonen.

Two or three more losses down the road, the Stars will be formally eliminated from the playoffs, if not, they'll be so close that even management must relent and call a "spade a spade." When that happens, Marty Turcos' tenure with the team, having already been through a few symbolic swan songs, will come even closer to an official end.

At some point, the "goaltender of the future" (and by the way, right now, that future could possibly be the 2010-2011 season only as far as a contract goes) will start to see the majority of the action, or at least an increased work load as his health allows. These starts will give fans and the front office alike tape on a guy that will command a few million dollars next year. Kari Lehtonen has not started well for the Stars so far, but his continued return from a lengthy NHL layoff is one of the big reasons I will continue to watch the Dallas this season.

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Kari Lehtonen	2	98	0	1		8	4.90	50	42	.840	0

#4. Brandon Segal

Brandon Segal was picked up just before Olympic break off of waivers from the Los Angeles Kings, and already he strikes me as a bright spot to watch the rest of the season above most else that's happening with this team right now.

In his Dallas debut, he tallied a goal (the game winner) and an assist against the Phoenix Coyotes. He's played in only 6 games, has 6 points and is a plus +4. Already he has three multi point games (Mark Fistric recorded the first of his entire career yesterday) and somehow got benched the game before against Los Angeles in favor of Brian Sutherby. (Start Krys Barch discussion here...no, wait, not now.)

His impact speaks for itself statistically, short though the sample size may be, but his impact passes the eye ball test as well. We talked about it yesterday during the game: He just looks impactful out there. His right shot creates chances that a lineup with 11 left-shot forwards didn't before. Mike Ribeiro likes playing with right handed shots. That's not a bad place to be. The reason why this is a bright spot going forward? Segal is only 26 and is signed for next season at only $550,000.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Brandon Segal	6	3	3	6	4	7	0	0	1	0	10	33.3

#3. Jamie Benn

This one speaks for itself. I must apologize for things I said back in August and September. I, of little faith, did not believe that Jamie Benn was ready to make the leap to the NHL, and boy am I glad to be proven wrong. He is among the leaders in NHL rookie goal scoring. He has played with a dozen different line combinations. He has even consented to learn a new position (center) for the betterment of his team and his own game. He's a big kid who is only 20 years old (wow) and he's only going to get bigger, faster, stronger, and better.

Jamie needs only 3 more goals to reach 20 in his rookie NHL season, and we bet he can do more. Jamie Benn is a good reason to keep watching this team and hoping for a bright future.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Jamie Benn	68	17	15	32	-3	39	2	0	2	0	141	11.3

#2. Mike Modano

No one knows for sure what Mike Modano wants to do after this season, but let us assume here that Mike is at least as smart as we are. He sees the writing on the wall. He knows the financial situation the team is in. He knows that things are unlikely to change drastically for next season. He knows that in a little under 3 months, he turns 40 years old.

If Mo wants to come back for another season, there are many who feel that the Stars should let him. They should let him come back for as many years as he wants, they say. He's earned it. Hard to argue there, but I can't help but wonder if lost in this whirlwind season of disappointment is the "Mike Modano Farewell Tour." There's been very little written about it in papers here or elsewhere, but every time Mike visits Chicago, Montreal, Colorado, Detroit, etc, for the last time, I wonder if he feels it when he leaves those places. He may not be returning again.

Worst of all, when the Stars play the Anaheim Ducks on April 8th, I worry that Mike Modano's career will come to a proverbial "thud" of an obscure, uncelebrated end.

I urge everyone to keep an eye on this guy. Maybe he'll be back, maybe he won't, but I plan to err on the side of caution, appreciating every Mike Modano shift from now until the end, whenever it may be.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Mike Modano	54	13	13	26	-5	20	3	0	2	0	107	12.1

#1. (Potential) Sale of the Team

This one you cannot see on your television screen. You can't read about it here at Defending Big D (not until there's some real news). You can't hear Ralph Strangis describe it to you on the radio, and you can't listen to BaD radio talk about it on The Ticket just yet.

But it's out there. There was a shred of news earlier this year, lending an equally small shred of hope to the Dallas Stars faithful. It's not that Tom Hicks wasn't a good owner. He was. For a very long time he was, you cannot deny it. But he isn't NOW. Every single conversation we have is framed in this $45 million box that everything must fit into, and we're tired of it.

The #1 hope, bright spot, whatever, we have going forward is the potential sale of this team. It might be this off-season. It might be next off-season. It might be five off-seasons from now, but it's going to happen. And things will get better. Some day.

That's my top 5 list. What is yours? What positives and hopefuls did I leave out? Sound off in the comments.

Stars Lose 5-3 As Playoff Chances Quickly Fade To Black

2010-03-14T22:27:43Z

More photos » Sharon Ellman - AP

He can score, he can toss around Avalanche goons like rag dolls... At least Brandon Segal is a ray of sunshine on a dreary Stars day! (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)

Browse more photos »

So do you hear that nose? Kinda off in the distance but strangely getting louder and sounding closer?

Thunk... Thunk... Thunk...

Wanna know what it is? It's the sound of another nail being driven into the Stars playoff chances coffin this time by goalie Craig Anderson and the Colorado Avalanche.

ThunkThunkThunk...

That is the sound of the Stars special teams helping them and doing a quicker job about it.

They allowed two Avalanche goals on three Stars penalty kills. They also went zero for five on the powerplay. That my friends was the difference today as the Stars for the first 30 minutes of this game looked solid and in firm control of things until the penalty kill gave up a second goal against in as many attempts and then two minutes later gave up the game winner on a suspect Chris Stewart wraparound goal that no Stars defender seemed interested in slowing down or that Marty Turco seemed quick enough to stop. From that point on, Mr. Anderson settled in and became a brick wall for Colorado stopping the last 26 Dallas shots in the final 30 minutes.

Maybe it's still that last shred of my hockey soul that wants to remain positive about this season, but Dallas really didn't play that bad. The defense when it was playing 5 on 5 was pretty good. The offense ripped 51 shots on goal so it's not like they couldn't get anything at the Avalanche net or get multiple rebound chances.

But then isn't that how the season has gone for this club? Even when they come out and do quite a few things right, it's one or two mistakes in a game that prove costly.

But as bad as special teams were for the Stars, there are a few other targets that need to be hammered on: The goalies.

Marty Turco wasn't awful today - he did let in that first goal that really, really should have been stopped granted - but he wasn't very good either and allowed four goals on 18 shots. Was he at fault for goals two, three and four? Not completely, but as we saw on the other end today - and as Marty proved a few nights ago in Washington - a really good goalie should pick up the defense from time to time. Marty was yanked after that first goal and Kari Lehtonen was for the third game in a row put in a very tough spot to pick up his team granted, but he wasn't very busy (only four shots against) but it was when he allowed a pretty bad fifth Avalanche goal in the third period that completely took the crowd and his team out of the game for good.

Was the defense in front of them ideal? Not exactly, but the defense wasn't that bad either and this was the kind of game where the Stars goaltending needed to stop some shots to make sure the Avalanche didn't gain any kind of momentum.

The offense in the game - save for the times it was on the power play - was fairly decent. Jamie Benn, Brandon Segal and James Neal were all quite good and did everything they could to help the Stars pick up a win. Brad Richards, Brenden Morrow and Steve Ott? Not quite as good and that's almost inexcusable for those three pull the near disappearing act they all had today at a time when their team needs them the most.

This loss doesn't eliminate the Stars from the playoffs just yet even if it does feel that way for most fans who left the AAC in a foul mood. What it does do though is pretty much make an improbable situation for the team damn near impossible.

The DBD 3 and 38th stars:

1st Star - Craig Anderson (COL): Equal parts good and lucky on this day... Which is exactly what all elite goalies are in this league. Hard to believe Dallas could have maybe had this guy if they hadn't wasted their time trying to get that Sweedish rebound making machine that went to Toronto huh>

2nd Star - Milan Hejduk (COL): Ho-hum.. Another game where Hejduk owns Dallas all game long. A goal and assist against the Stars is nothing new for him.

3rd Star - Paul Stastny (COL): Honestly I didn't really notice him much in this game save for the two times he shot a puck on goal and both times it went in. He was a silent assassin out on the ice tonight.

38th Star - Krys Barch (DAL): Ok it's confession time for me... I started this 38th star deal last game because I wanted to point out just how useless Barch is at this point for the Stars, problem was there was actually someone else who was even worse in that game so I couldn't justify giving it to Barch. I'm glad to see a lot of you liked it and I'm here to say it'll be a regular feature (of at least my recaps anyway) and today It's not a problem to put Barch in this spot! The thing is it's not even all on Barch because how can we expect a guy to produce anything with only three minutes worth of ice time per game? Why does Marc Crawford even dress him at this point?! How is Barch supposed to be benefiting from this? *shrug* Whatever... Just like most of this Stars season, I'm at a loss as to come up with any single rational explanation for it.

Gameday Thread: Colorado Avalanche @ Dallas Stars

2010-03-14T17:30:15Z

Game 67: Colorado Avalanche @ Dallas Stars

Sunday, March 14th, 2010 · 2:00 p.m. CDT

American Airlines Center - Dallas, TX

Mile High Hockey || Kings vs Stars coverage

Reminder: I'll be live blogging from the game, so check back often.

1:38pm. Ralph Strangis came through the press box a little while ago. Every time I see him in person I am amazed at the attention his booing voice commands in a room. Love me some Ralphy.

1:54pm. The Avalanche contingent is as strong as ever. Fans of visiting teams are such a large part of the better crowds here at home. See Friday's Los Angeles game for the downside of that effect.

2:07pm. We just finished the famous heinous National Anthem. I'm not feeling any less American.

2:14pm. Lines are looking like this

Eriksson Richards Ott
Morrow Ribeiro Segal
Neal Benn Lehteinen
Barch Modano Petersen

And the Stars have some jump despite losing that hour of sleep.

2:20pm. The Avs score. Hejduk on a wrister from the top of the right circle. Marty might want to see that one again. I don't know..

2:30pm. James Neal makes a spectacular play from his stomach behind the net and gets the puck out to a wide open Jamie Benn. Dallas scores. Steve Ott immediately goes to work mixing it up and being a pest.

END OF THE FIRST PERIOD: The Stars conclude a spirited first period with 14 shots and a tie game. Not too shabby. They're paying more attention to their own end, and somehow getting some nice rushes at the same time.

No power plays yet?

BEGINNING SECOND PERIOD

Stars had an 11-6 edge in the faceoff circle. That's huge and it's something that can a long way toward getting a win today if they can keep it up. Jamie Benn won 4 of his 5 draws in the first.

3:02pm. Delay of game on Colorado to start the second, but a Brad Richards scorcher rings off the post and the Stars are unable, despite good pressure, to convert on the PP.

And now the Stars will be shorthanded.

3:06pm. Trevor Daley's tripping penalty cost the Stars as they're exposed in the middle of the ice by a nice pass and a better shot over Marty's left shoulder by Darcy Tucker. 2-1 Avs.

3:10pm. The goals keep coming. Segal cleans up a loose puck in front and it's 2-2 with 13:10 remaining in the 2nd.

3:14pm. 8 minutes, three goals. It's Segal again on a shot from the top of the circle. 3-2 Stars. 24 shots on goal already.

3:20pm. Brandon Segal fight's too. Unfortunately for him it looks like he's getting an extra two here. Avs on the PP.

3:29pm. Enter Kari Lehtonen.

The Avs tied the game up on the PP and then take the lead on a wrap around try that Marty Turco actually causes to go in by giving the Christ Stewart something to bounce the puck off of from behind the net.

END OF THE SECOND

Brandon Segal scored two goals in the second but then his roughing penalty turned the game around the other way. The Stars penalty killing, combined with what Marc Crawford evidently feels is subpar goaltending have the Stars down a goal heading into the third period.

4:04pm

Of all days to have computer problems...

Anyway, just spoke with Bob Sturm of 1310 The Ticket and he is just as nice as you'd imagine.

Special teams are quickly becoming the story of this game. The Avs have 2 power play goals and the Stars are 0-3.

4:16pm

Make that 0-4 on the PP now. Perhaps the refs have noticed. Steve Ott appeared to be high sticked in the face and there was no call. The Crowd is getting a little testy.

4:18pm.

Kari Lehtonen is not endearing himself to his new fan base at the moment. Stastny unleashed a lazy wrister from the slot that surprised everyone in the building as it was bounced off the back of the cage.

A 3-2 lead is now a 5-3 deficit.

4:34pm

And that's it. What do you think folks? Is that the last nail in the coffin? It's kind of hard to explain away at this point. Even when they play well and dominate territorially, they cannot compete in the most basic of hockey categories like special teams and goaltending. Anderson put on a show, and the Stars goaltenders...did....something else.

It's a bitter pill to swallow right now.

Gameday Preview: Colorado Avalanche @ Dallas Stars (2:00pm CDT)

2010-03-14T06:09:02Z

Next Game

Colorado Avalanche
@ Dallas Stars

Sunday, Mar 14, 2010, 2:00 PM CDT
American Airlines Center

Local TV: NHL Center Ice Only.

Radio: 1310 am The Ticket (listen on line @ stars.nhl.com)

Complete Coverage >

The Stars take their final wack at the Avs today, trailing the season series with a mark of 1-2-0. The home team has won all three meetings thus far, with the Stars winning the most recent contest 3-2 on January 29th. Mike Modano was the Stars leading scorer with 2 goals. Speaking of two goals, the Stars have failed to score at least two goals in three straight home losses following the Olympic break. The Phoenix game on February 6th makes it well over a month since the AAC goal horn has blown more than once in Dallas.

Detroit's win last night makes the playoff math that much more difficult, but the Stars can hardly afford to look at the standings. Joe Nieuwendyk said going into this home stand that they needed "5 of 6 of 6 of 6." Their shootout loss against L.A. keeps the hope alive that they can split the difference there and get 11 of 12 points. This is the ultimate "one game at a time" situation, though. It continues with the Avs today, who have scored 14 goals in their last 3 games and are coming off a shutout of the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

Today's game is notable because it marks the first time in 13 years that a Dallas Stars regular season game will not be broadcast in the DFW area. The only way to see the game is to have NHL Center Ice (the blackout has been lifted and the Avalanche feed will be available.)

Defending Big D Live Blogging @ the AAC

In an effort to combat the no-tv blues, Defending Big D will be covering the game live at the AAC today. Please check in with our gameday thread for thought's on the game from the arena.

Follow the jump for injury updates, starting goaltenders and a look at the Avs:

The Stars:

Marty Turco will get the start in net today for the Stars. In his last three starts he's stopped 114 of 122 shots thrown his way for a save percentage of (.934%).

Perhaps the biggest reason for his success (well, you know) against the Kings was the change in philosophy from the Stars coaching staff in crafting the game plan. The Stars played a much more conservative style, sending the centers back to help out defensively like they used to under Dave Tippett, and having more support from the forwards in general. The downside was that this sometimes limited what the offense could do in transition as far as generating dangerous scoring chances.

So here's the question: If the offense was generating only one goal per game at home lately anyway (or if you want the big picture, the offensive numbers from last year under Tippett to this year under Crawford look a lot the same), is the added defensive emphasis a win/win? Or would you rather them stick to what they've been working on all year, with an eye on making it work in years to come under Coach Crawford?

The Avalanche have given the Stars fits this year with their speed and young talent. The defensive coverage will have to be just as stingy as it was on Friday to overcome them.

The somewhat nebulous line configurations of Friday could continue on Sunday should the offense continue to sputter. Mike Heika hazards a guess:

He went mostly with these four Friday against the Kings:

Ott-Richards-Eriksson
Morrow-Ribeiro-Sutherby/Modano
Neal-Benn-Lehtinen
Barch-Modano-Petersen

The Avalanche:

Check out Mile High Hockey for their take on the latest Avalanche outing:

After a disappointing game on Tuesday, the Avalanche put in a solid 60-minute effort this evening. It wasn't the most exciting game, especially early on, but did pick up intensity as the night wore on. After both teams skated to a 0-0 tie in a decidedly unspectacular first period, the Avs finally cracked Tomas Vokoun in the 2nd.

Honestly, I was already thinking shutout before that [2nd] goal. Anderson was playing well and Florida's attack didn't seem to have much bite on the evening. While the Avs did have some rough stretches defensively around the midway point of the 3rd, they seemed to shake it off and got back onto solid ground. Anderson some terrific saves in the 3rd, turning around all 13 shots that he faced. Matt Hendricks converted on a breakaway off of a turnover late in the game to ice the win for the Avs. Colorado got a much-needed 2 points in front of another sparse Denver crowd; 11, 485 was the official attendance, the 11th time this year the Avs have drawn under 12,000.

Like I said before: 14 goals in the last 3 games has this Colorado offense humming along quite well, but they have lost 3 of their last 4 road outings.

Also, Mile High Hockey tries to figure out who gets the Calder with a good old fashioned poll. Tyler Myers gets my vote.

Injuries:

Dallas: Nick Grossman is close, but still out with a nagging back injury. Tom Wandell of course it out for the year.

Colorado: Ruslan Salei is out with an "upper-torso" issue.

Defending Big D Blogs Live From the AAC on Sunday

2010-03-13T22:31:00Z

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.

Is Shouting "Stars" During The Star Spangled Banner Wrong?

2010-03-13T14:00:28Z

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There's been a lot of chatter on the internet the past few days following a certain blog posting by a man named Rob Otto of mlive.com, and particularly a re-posting of it on Puck Daddy of Yahoo Sports fame.

The issue in question has been largely the Chicago Blackhawks and their fans cheering during the Star Spangled Banner. Upon first reading about this, I was under the impression that the cheering was drowning out the song itself. I have since seen this video, and find myself border-line flabbergasted at the implication. The only thing that is is a really awesome scene. It's a playoff atmosphere. It's the epitome of excitement and anticipation. (It's Chicago fans still venting, following what felt like eons of bad hockey, but I digress...)

Invariably, Dallas has been pulled into this debate. A debate, Google reveals, that has been taking place on the internet for many, many years. Stars fans at the American Airlines Center, and before that at Reunion Arena, shout "Stars!" twice during the performance of the song, in concert with the performer. Perhaps someone could fill us in on when exactly this tradition came into being, but in the 12+ years I've lived in Dallas, it seems to me it's always been that way. Capitals fans have a similar tradition, though it first came from the Orioles.

Is it disrespectful? Is it harmless enthusiasm? If you could put a stop to it, how would you go about it?

I don't yell "Stars" at the games. I never have, save one occasion. My wife does, and I don't have a problem with it. I think it's fine actually, and I'll tell you why.

Follow the jump for more...

The Why's and the What-For's

A discussion of the anthem at sporting events must almost certainly start with: "Why do we sing the anthem before sporting events?"

A definitive answer or origin is hard to pin down, but all signs point to baseball. Some will tell you it was a game in Philadelphia in 1897, others will say it was during the first World War in 1918 that the tradition started to take hold...I know not for certain. We do it. We're not going to stop doing it. I like it, personally. It's become a part of the fabric of sports. The last several measures of the Star Spangled Banner at any sporting event in this country are nearly always accompanied by some (inebriated?) patrons whistling and cheering. It lends an air of excitement to the moment and there's nothing wrong with that cheering. So why is it wrong in Chicago to cheer the entire thing?

These days it seems the "honest to God" patriotism of it (in the U.S.) is saved mostly for momentous occasions like national holidays, tragedies, and of course, the all important Super Bowl. The vast majority of fans will stand. They remove their caps. They stop eating. They stop texting. They may even put their right hand over their heart, and they may even mutter along. Patriotism isn't mandated in a setting where invariably there are people in the very same building getting drunk, buying a pretzel, or going to the bathroom DURING the anthem. Even in Montreal or Edmonton during a raucous chorus of "Oh, Canada" you cannot prevent these things.

To some, a valid question is "Why stop at sporting events? Why not other entertainment venues like movies or concerts?"

Whose broad stripes and bright "Stars!"

A very old friend of mine, college roommate, best-man in my wedding, etc is in the Navy. I have brought him to Stars games in the past, as recently as December. He yells "Stars" during the anthem. He didn't seem offended.

Some people might be. That's their right, but I don't understand why. I believe the context allows for some latitude. I think the people in Dallas, and all over the country in general, are respectful of the anthem. Using it to build excitement about the team people came to see does not detract from the symbolic nature of the flag and the song if it's truly important to you. Yelling "Stars" makes the anthem that much more special in Dallas rather than a routine witnessed hundreds of times by season ticket holders. It happens with the anthem. It does not subtract from it.

I wasn't born in Texas, and I certainly didn't "get here as soon as I could," but having lived here for quite a while now I feel quite confident in saying that Texans are the kind of people who have a great respect for their military and their country. I don't want to interject politics into this discussion, but I think everyone knows where I am going with this.

And if you don't believe me, come to a Stars game. About 20 minutes after the crowd yells "Stars!" twice during the anthem, we do something else. We stand. All of us. All 18,532 on a good night. We stand at the first commercial break and we honor a particular man or woman in the armed services, and ALL servicemen in the arena. Brad Richards currently donates tickets for this very purpose, and the the first commercial break of the evening has been used for years in this manner.

I've said it here before: Fans in Dallas don't stand up for much. They stand for that, though.

I have sufficient reverence for the flag, the anthem, and this great nation of ours that I choose not to yell "Stars" during the anthem, but I support those that do.

Oh Say can "Jussi!"

Questioning the patriotism of others is a slippery, contradictory slope. You do what you want in this country. That's what's great about it. Even so, using the anthem to disparage something is disrespectful in my book. So the "Red Wings Suck!" chants that emanate from a tiny minority of Stars fans and others around the league when the word "red" occurs is not my favorite.

The "border" wars during anthems in the playoffs are unfortunate should any booing occur. We've seen this go both ways. Booing the other country's anthem is foolish. Singing your own with increasing enthusiasm is a better response, and an awesome scene to behold.

The Anaheim Duck fans in some recent year, I don't recall, that actually booed during the national anthem when the word "Star" was sung were..well, insert your own word here.

And Stars fans, please take note: Jussi Jokinen doesn't play here anymore, so you can stop with the ridiculous shouting of "Ju-ssi!!!!" during the first line of the song. Like the Mooterus, that was never a good idea.

Don't Mess With...The American Airlines Center

That one time I chose to yell "Stars" during the anthem?

It was the 2007 All-Star game. There was a pervasive feeling amongst season ticket holders that the building was, uhhh... "under siege" by northeasterners and Canadians. It seemed the best way to defend, nay, declare ourselves.

Poll

Is it disrespectful to emphasize "Stars" in the course of the national anthem?

Improved Effort From Stars Still Falls Short in 2-1 Shootout Loss

2010-03-13T05:49:07Z

More photos » Tony Gutierrez - AP

Loui was *that* close to giving the Stars the extra point in a shootout that featured quite a few close calls on both sides. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Browse more photos »

The feeling from most observers - us here at DBD included - was that if the Stars were going to have any kind of chance at making a serious playoff run two things had to happen: One, they had to get better in their own end of the ice and two, they had to look at going 5 and 1 or at the very worst 4-1-1 on this six game home stand.

They took care of the first part tonight with the entire team playing a better and more complete game than we've seen since the break. It wasn't perfect by any stretch, hell it wasn't even that great, but it was a solid effort at both ends of the ice. Players went all out to block shots, they fought hard for loose pucks in the corner, and except for one mental and physical breakdown from Karlis Skrastins in the first period that helped lead to a Fredrik Modin goal they didn't allow their opponents on this night to have any kind of free reign anywhere in their own zone.

Now unfortunately even with the improved effort and better play, they still only managed to scrap out a single point in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings and while the Stars will gladly take the point and skate off with it it, the fact it isn't two points means the margin for error on this home stand just got even smaller than it already was.

The funny thing is I've kinda gotten used to writing these recaps and criticizing the Stars for various issues with their gameplay, but tonight I can't really do that. I mean sure I can nitpick over the faceoffs and how Dallas wasn't really that good at them. I could complain about the powerplay which went 0 for 4 and while wasn't outright horrible wasn't good either. I could even point out the penalty kill wasn't perfect allowing the previously mentioned Modin goal while down a man. But really after those three things, there wasn't much to complain about.

The defense was pretty good in this one, they did a fairly effective job on keeping the Kings limited to single shots with very few rebound chances and they moved the puck well out of their zone when they had the chance to. The offense was pretty solid as well - which I know seems kind of silly to say in a game where only one goal was scored and we've spent the last two weeks harping on how this team needs to score more than once per game - but tonight was more about Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier who was in goal and did a fantastic job of keeping the puck out of the net in place of regular starter Jonathan Quick who was back in L.A. with his wife and newly born baby daughter.

Brenden Morrow was finally able to snap out of his slump and pick up his 15th goal of the season and right after that play looked like a man who could finally loosen the grip on his stick a little. Mike Modano also had a pretty good game offensively... There wasn't a single forward on the ice for Dallas where I thought they needed some major improvement.

And we can't complain at all about Marty Turco as he kept up his solid play in what can only be called a light 28 shots against night. He looks confident in goal and isn't giving up any kind of bad rebounds.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that for the first time in quite a while I can walk away from watching a Stars loss and know in my heart they probably deserved a better fate. Sure it doesn't match the feeling I would have had if they had won, but it's still giving me this odd sense of calm, like maybe the seemingly impossible is in fact possible and this club can rally at home and get right back in the playoff race.

Either that or I've had too much Dr. Pepper to drink tonight. I'm not sure which. I'll have a better idea come Sunday afternoon when the Stars take on the Colorado Avalanche for a 2pm CST start (And don't forget that we 'spring forward' this weekend an hour ahead on the clocks, so adjust accordingly!)

The DBD Four & 38th Stars:

1st Star - Jonathan Bernier (LA): If not for his 29 save effort, this was easily a Stars win.

2nd Star - Marty Turco (DAL): Quietly had just as good a night as Bernier did.

3rd Star - Fredrik Modin (LA): Did exactly what he was supposed to do on the Kings PP, stand in front of goalie and be big. It paid off with a goal and he was the Kings most consistent forward tonight.

4th Star - Brenden Morrow (DAL): Finally got the goalless monkey off his back and for the second straight game led at both ends of the ice.

38th Star - Richard Clune (LA): A -1 in 4:12 has to feel even worse when you consider Krys Barch was able to at least get two shots and stay even with about a minute less ice time.

Gameday Thread: Los Angeles Kings @ Dallas Stars

2010-03-13T00:15:14Z

Game 66: Los Angeles Kings @ Dallas Stars

Friday, March 12th, 2010 · 7:30 p.m. CST

American Airlines Center - Dallas, TX

Kings vs Stars coverage || Jewels From The Crown

Let's try this one again.