Defending Big D 3 hours ago
Gameday Thread: Stars vs Predators (7PM CST)
Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via The Stars face the Predators after a rousing opening night on Friday. Dallas Stars vs Nashville Predators Location: American Airlines CenterPuck Drop: 7 p.m. CSTTV: NHL Network, FS-SWRadio: 96.7 FM / 1310 AM The Ticket
Defending Big D 10 hours ago
Stars Look For Opening Series Sweep Against Predators
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports Special teams drive big opening win, but injuries and even-strength play leave questions. It’s hard to look at the opening 7-0 Dallas Stars win over the Nashville Predators and not feel great. Dallas found the net with regularity, and by the end of the game, the “Dobby” chants were echoing through a full-as-could-be American Airlines Center. With five power-play goals, an even-strength goal, and a shorthanded tally to back it up, there wasn’t much that Nashville could do to end the celebration of live hockey’s return to the...
Defending Big D Jan 23, 2021
Dallas Stars and the Magic of a Season Opener on Home Ice
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports As the NHL deals with social distancing, fans are allowed inside the American Airlines Center, showing that the magic of the home-ice advantage is alive and well in Dallas. For Dallas Stars fans, last night’s game was everything they had hoped for and more. As the banner was raised for the Western Conference champions of the 2019-20 season, fans couldn’t help but get that warm feeling knowing that their Dallas Stars shined brighter than any other NHL team in the west. The game was amazing to watch (well, unless you were an in-market...
Defending Big D Jan 23, 2021
Stark Reminders: And So It Begins...
Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via After a long, long hiatus, the reminders — stark and not so stark — are back! Yesterday was the first time the Dallas Stars have played at home — and in front of fans — since March 10th, 2020. Last night, they kicked off the 2020-21 season against the Nashville Predators, and kicked it off in style. While many of us might have worried after the first 20 minutes that the offense-light Stars of yore were on the ice, the final 40 minutes proved all of us (happily) wrong. Normally, something that is a stark reminder is meant to be a...
Defending Big D Jan 23, 2021
Jamie Benn Injured As Stars Demolish Predators To Open Season
Photo by Ronald Martinez/ An offensive explosion and stellar special teams led Dallas to their first win of the season. More than 300 days later, after a bubble Stanley Cup Final run and a COVID-19 outbreak that forced the start of the season to be delayed over a week, the Dallas Stars finally returned to the American Airlines Center. In front of 4,212 fans in a limited capacity arena open as the pandemic rages on, the Stars got to celebrate their Western Conference championship by raising the banner to the rafters. But as the puck dropped for the opening faceoff, the...
Defending Big D Jan 22, 2021
Gameday Thread: Stars vs Predators (7:30PM CST)
Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via The Stars begin the season — finally. Dallas Stars vs Nashville Predators Location: American Airlines CenterPuck Drop: 7:30 p.m. CTTV: ESPN+, FS-SW+Radio: 96.7 FM / 1310 AM The Ticket
Defending Big D Jan 22, 2021
Tale of the Tape: Dallas vs Nashville
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports Rivalries renew as the Stars open the 2021 season against a familiar foe. It’s back! Finally. That’s right. Hockey is back in Dallas. It took a little longer than we had hoped for, but we can all breathe a big sigh of relief as the boys in victory green hit the ice. It’s hard to believe that it’s been four months since the Dallas Stars represented the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final. As challenging as the 2019-2020 season was for Dallas, 2021 could be just as challenging physically and mentally. A quick recap,...
Defending Big D Jan 22, 2021
Friday Links: Miro Heiskanen...Norris Winner?
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports Saad Yousuf says it’s not a matter of if, but when – and posts a persuasive presentation to prove it. Plus, Thursday practice updates, Ben Bishop’s dad move, and more. Happy Dallas Stars game day! The new season brings so much to look forward to, not the least of which is a daily dose of Miro Heiskanen highlights. Miro Heiskanen was back on the ice today. Footage via the Stars. pic.twitter.com/gnS1aLxl40— Matthew DeFranks (@MDeFranks) January 17, 2021 But as nice as it is to glory in Heiskanen’s Stars status, many fans would...
Defending Big D Jan 22, 2021
Bold Predictions for the 2020-21 Dallas Stars Season
Photo by Bruce Bennett/ Because they turned out so well last time around... Before the start of the 2019-20 season, I decided to make some bold predictions for how the Dallas Stars’ season would turn out. Needless to say, I failed spectacularly (although the Ben Bishop one was actually pretty close). I am nothing if not determined, however. Today marks the beginning of a new season for Dallas, so why not give it another shot? As before, I’m not going to simply make bold predictions — I’ll be making bold ones. For instance, Roope Hintz leading the team in scoring...
Defending Big D Jan 21, 2021
Stargazing, Episode 116: Beforewords
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports Or is it Be Forwards...? Wes and Logan try to figure out the stand-in Central and how the Stars can catch up after a late start. The Dallas Stars are back in action – which means it’s time to start boosting, bandwagoning, borrowing trouble, or whatever your brand of fandom dictates. So what can we expect from the Discover® Central™ Division©? Wes Lawrence and Logan Stark talk about it: What’s the good and bad about the Stars’ delayed start? Who can stand out and level up as the team rolls out new blood and new combos? How does...
Defending Big D Jan 21, 2021
Thursday Links: The Roster is Set
Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Or it mostly is, at least. Plus, Miro Heiskanen’s path to a potential Norris Trophy, the Capitals are the first team fined for violating COVID-19 protocols, and more. Yesterday, the Dallas Stars loaned eight players to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, as well as placing defenseman Julius Honka on waivers. That means the team’s roster is now more or less set, and, as always, General Manager Jim Nill is happy with it: “I like where we’re at,” said Nill. “We’ve done a good job of getting through all of this, and I credit...
Defending Big D Jan 20, 2021
Four Things I’m Excited for in 2021
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports The Dallas Stars are scheduled to take the ice on Friday night for their season opener against the Nashville Predators. With 2020 behind us, it is only fair to fire ourselves up for 2021. We deserve it. Under normal circumstances it would be quite odd for the Dallas Stars to be opening a season in late January. It is even stranger that the Stars and the National Hockey League are about to cram the 2020-2021 season exclusively in the year 2021. Is what you would say if the NHL hadn’t prepared us all for this moment with multiple...
Defending Big D Jan 20, 2021
Wednesday Links: Rating The Players
O Captain, our Captain. | Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports Up, down, or even? Saad Yousuf checks the trend lines. Plus, there’s never too much Miro, find your NWHL rooting interest, and more. The Dallas Stars’ 2021 season finally gets going on Friday, barring any more intervening events. How will the team look after the bane of a training camp upended by COVID-19 and the bonus of a few extra practice days? Saad Yousuf devoted a recent article for The Athletic to gauging where the Stars’ key players rank, roster-wise. Among those trending up – Jamie Benn: The Stars...
Defending Big D Jan 19, 2021
Tuesday Links: The Rise of Heiskanen
Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Miro Heiskanen is already a star in the NHL — what’s the next step for him? Plus, who will wear the ‘A’ in Seguin’s absence, early takeaways from the new season, and more. Typically when a skater still on their ELC is considered to be your best player, it’s because you’re not a very good team. Rarely can you make that claim when you’re a reigning Conference Champion, but that’s how it is with the Dallas Stars and Miro Heiskanen. Already a bona fide No. 1 defenseman, Heiskanen has exceeded every expectation the Stars...
Defending Big D Jan 19, 2021
With A New Season Comes New Faces, On The Ice And Off
Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Defending Big D welcomes a few new faces and says happy trails to a long-time friend. Defending Big D has been pretty lucky since its birth. We’ve had a number of editors, writers, and contributors that have rolled through here and have liked it enough to stick around for a few seasons. For as long as we have them, we’re #blessed to have a diverse set of voices to bring the news, analysis, and some lighthearted fun to talking about the Dallas Stars and fostering a community of fans here in this little space of the internet. But for...
