How long can the Dallas Stars try to be who they say they are before they give up and become what their best players are capable of being? It’s an open question, and one Wes and Mark decided to explore during this week of contrasts.

We didn’t want this to be a miserycast. Fortunately, there was plenty to compare and contrast between Sunday’s big win and Tuesday’s insanely frustrating loss. In this episode:

What, specifically, did the Stars do right against the Boston Bruins?
Has Tyler Seguin returned to form? (And if he has, will that count as a trade deadline acquisition?)
Is Alexander Radulov finally recovering his scoring mojo?
Is Denis Gurianov on another upswing?
Is Radek Faksa hitting his aging curve early?
How exactly did the team fall apart in the late third period against the Calgary Flames?
How much of the Stars’ identity as a defense-first team is a straight-up lie? (Careful – Mark has receipts.)
How much of player usage (and misusage) should we blame on systems and how much on hockey culture writ large?
And if you can’t find a way to let a player do what he’s good at, should you even have him on the roster? (Asking for a friend?)

All this, plus a guest contribution by Wes’ dog...in this episode of Stargazing. Enjoy as Mark finally gets credit for predicting the Bruins blowout.

We love comments, even from the haters. Leave one at Defending Big D or seek us out @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts. You could be part of the next podcast.

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The All-Star Breaks