by George on February 19, 2012
When James Neal and Matt Niskanen were traded to Pittsburgh in return for Alex Goligoski, many Stars fans were puzzled about the deal. Personally, I thought it was a good deal at the time as Goligoski brought Dallas the offensive defenseman that they had missed since Sergei Zubov departed in 2008.
Neal was on a line with Brad Richards and Jamie Benn in Dallas, and at different times in the season it was one of the hottest in the NHL. However, James struggled at times and wasn’t getting the points that the Dallas management hoped he would get, which lead to him being traded.
by George on February 16, 2012
It was announced today that experienced defenseman Nicklas Grossman has left the Dallas Stars to travel East and join up with the Philadelphia Flyers. In return, the Stars have gained a 2012 second-round pick and a 2013 third-round pick.
Grossman leaves Dallas in his sixth season for the franchise, making 333 appearances and recording 41 points in the process. He has never been a points scoring defenseman, but that is made up for with the physicality he brings on the ice with his 6ft4in frame.
by George on February 12, 2012
When Jason Kidd picked up a calf strain at the back end of January, the Mavs assigned the main point guard role to young Frenchman Roddy Beaubois for a few games. Having watched both Jason and Roddy control the floor for the Mavs, I am still undecided in terms of which player I prefer bringing the ball up the court.
Looking at the statistical side of things, you can see how the 2 players differ from one another in playing stle. Roddy prefers to have the ball in his hand and scoring points, whereas Kidd is much more of a distributor. Beaubois is currently averaging 7.3 PPG and 2.5 APG and Kidd is averaging 4.3 PPG and 5.6 APG.
The Stars take on a struggling Columbus Blue Jackets side at the Nationwide Arena tonight. The Jackets’ season is practically over as they currently sit rock bottom of the NHL with just 36 points from 53 games. In contrast, the Stars season is still very much alive, as they continue to fight to break into the top eight in the Western Conference, currently sitting 2 points behind eighth.
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Stars visit Columbus in crucial encounter
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The Dallas Stars’ season is really heating up and getting to the business end as they start a stretch of 16 games in 30 days when they take on the Coyotes tomorrow night in Texas.
Under the control of Glen Gulutzan in his first season of NHL coaching, the Stars currently sit just 2 points outside a playoff birth in 9th place. It has been a season of inconsistency for the Stars, as they have destroyed the Stanley Cup holders in one game and then lost to the rock bottom Islanders in another. Gaining consistency throughout the final third of the season will be absolutely crucial.
Since the all-star break it has been a mixed bag for the Stars so far. They headed straight out West to take on a surging Ducks side looking to make a late push into the playoff picture. The Stars recorded a mightily impressive 6-2 victory with goals coming from Jamie Benn, Michael Ryder, Vernon Fiddler, Eric Nystrom, Stephane Robidas and Sheldon Souray it what was a great offensive performance.
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Stars look to bounce back against Minnesota
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DeMarcus Ware was heavily involved with the Cowboys defense last season which struggled a lot throughout the year. The ‘Boys conceded an average of just over 21 points a game last season, a number that Rob Ryan would have wanted lower.
When Rob Ryan joined the Cowboys as defensive coordinator from the Cleveland Browns, Cowboys fans were optimistic that he could turn the defense into a very strong unit. Over the course of the season, Ryan showed glimpses of what he was about as he held the Patriots to 20 points at Gillette stadium, and contained the Bills at Cowboys Stadium, conceding just 7 points.
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DeMarcus Ware confident about next season
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The Mavs come into tonight’s game without veteran guard Jason Kidd, who will be out for around a week after straining his calf. Dallas will potentially be without Dirk Nowitzki, with his status set as questionable for tonight’s encounter with the Spurs.
On Friday night, the Mavs showed their great roster depth in overcoming the Utah Jazz in a very impressive performance. Roddy Beaubois and Lamar Odom got 22 and 19 points respectively, with Roddy starting in place of Delonte West.
The Mavs take on the Spurs tonight with tip-off at 6.30pm. In recent seasons, contests between the Mavs and Spurs have been fast, physical and entertaining, providing one of the best rivalries in the NBA.
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Mavs meet Spurs at American Airlines Center tonight
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After a very tough start to the season with his new team, Lamar Odom received some good news as he made the final squad to represent team USA at the London Olympic Games in the summer. Odom takes a spot in the roster amongst huge amounts of talent in what is a sublime team, which should take the Gold medal.
The full roster for the 2012 Olympics is as follows;
LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trailblazers)
Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks)
Chauncey Billups (LA Clippers)
Chris Bosh (Miami Heat)
Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers)
Tyson Chandler (New York Knicks)
Jamie Benn’s appendectomy came just at the wrong time for the young Canadian, as it lead to his first all-star appearance being in doubt. However, Jamie had a very speedy and successful recovery and is now in Ottawa ahead of the all-star weekend, with the draft just taking place. The skills competition takes place tomorrow and the game itself takes place on Sunday, with Jamie Benn of the Stars featuring in both
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Jamie Benn represents the Stars in Ottawa
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