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Not to join the nabobs of negativism, but there is very little on paper that makes you think that the Stars can win this first-round series with the Ducks.

Some of the key numbers surrounding goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere are just amazing. Bottom line, Giguere wins in the playoffs. He is 31-13 in three years in the postseason. He is 8-0 in overtime games. Meanwhile, Marty Turco is 11-18 and 2-8 in overtime games. Now, that's not all on Turco, because he has done a wonderful job of stretching some of those games out to triple and quadruple overtime before losing, but it just goes to show you the difference between the teams and organizations.

Randy Carlyle has coached in two postseasons and taken the Ducks to the Western Conference finals one year and the Stanley Cup the next. He is 7-1 in playoff series. Dave Tippett has coached the Stars for four postseasons and is 1-4. Chris Pronger has been on two different teams the last two seasons, and both have gotten to the Stanley Cup Finals. There's something special there when that happens. There's a calm and a comfort in the postseason.

The Stars don't seem to have that calm.

The Stars work as hard as any team out there, and they do a thousand things right. But they haven't had the killer instinct in the playoffs when they have had a team down, and they haven't had the poise to close out close games when the playoff pressure has been highest. That might be the defense, that might be the forwards, that might be Turco. It might be Tippett and his coaching staff. But the bottom line is that somebody somewhere has found a way to make the last mistake.

Maybe this is the year the Stars finally are able to handle the postseason pressure. They are clear underdogs, and they seem to be embracing that role. Maybe they need that so they don't have to think about the pressure. They certainly have the ability to pull an upset over the Ducks, but the numbers on paper say that's a very long shot.

But I sincerely appreciate those of you who are more optimistic. There's a definite need for that right now.

Q: I just get so tired of all the complaining in the blogs. This is my team, so I have no choice but to root for them.

I was just listening to the Brenden Morrow show on BaD Radio. Brenden mentioned how in his rookie year, you sometimes don't think so much. I'm guessing the magnitude of the games might not sink in like it does for some veterans. What if one or more of these rookie defensemen really are greatness? They don't bring any baggage, no playoff failures. What if this is where they blossom, and this is the first of many great playoffs for this bunch of kids? I know some say it's tougher on rookies and all that.

This is my team, and we're still undefeated in this year's playoffs, so why not "believe," as the marketing slogan says? I know I'm a homer and rose-colored glasses and all. But I get so tired of all the naysayers.

Jerry

HEIKA: I understand that it is tough to stay positive in this world. I guess the one thing that is grating about the blog or the e-mails is that the people who predict inevitable doom seem to want to call you out for being an idiot if you think the Stars have any chance of succeeding. I think it's fine to criticize and state your opinion, but everyone has to be open to the possibility that just maybe their opinion is wrong. Anyway, it's just sports, so my advice would be to enjoy it and have fun.

Q: I'm still mad about the slash to the leg to Brenden Morrow in the Vancouver game in the playoffs last year. I think it was Game 6 with just a minute or so left to play. To me, the league loses credibility when there is nothing done about those types of things. I could not believe the guy was not suspended.

Marcus in Tulsa

HEIKA: They rarely suspend people in the playoffs unless there is a horrible penalty. I believe things should be tougher, but that's just the history of the league. The playoffs are historically a time to look the other way and let the players settle it on the ice.

Q: Any chance of a loser's point going away? It has a distorting effect on the system.

I really don't see the Stars getting past the first round and maybe just two home games. A completely healthy Sergei Zubov for the last month of the regular season may have changed my thoughts. His 25 minutes/game are sorely missed.

Charlie G.

HEIKA: I would love it if the loser points went away. I used to think it was fine, but now I see just how much excitement could be created in the regular season if you only got a win or a loss. Let's do it, I say.

I'm with you on Zubov. Just look at what Brian Campbell did to San Jose. He not only put their defense in order, he helped get the puck to the forwards and helped fix players like Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau.

Q: Neither Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin nor the defending Stanley Cup Champions are to be seen anywhere on Versus during the first round. What in the world is going on? From the league and Versus perspective, this seems nuts to me. Your take on this, please.

Neil W.

HEIKA: I have Versus televising a bunch of series, including Pittsburgh-Ottawa and Washington-Philly. I believe Washington-Philly also is the Sunday game on NBC. And I think three of the first five Anaheim-Dallas games are also on Versus.

I'm not sure if these are regional telecasts, but I think Versus is doing hockey pretty much nonstop right now.

I'd tune in and see what they have for you.

Q: On The Ticket, Steve Ott said the Stars are calling for a "blackout" during home playoff games, i.e. fans should wear black jerseys or shirts to next week's games. You may want to mention it on the blog so that all of the fans can get onboard.

Ross M.

HEIKA: Hey Ross, I'll probably start pushing it closer to Game 3, but consider this an early advisory to fans to break out the AC/DC concert T-shirts (or you could get a Stars jersey, if you want).

Q: During the San Jose game, Razor said something to the effect that this could be Stu Barnes' last regular-season game in Dallas. Is Stu retiring, or is his contract up at the end of the season, and if so, has there been an indication that the Stars would not re-sign him next year? I have watched most of the 82 games this year, and Stu is one of those guys who continues to stand out with his play on the penalty kill as well as putting in a few goals here and there. He doesn't look like he has lost that much speed, and I think he is a great leader for the younger guys on this team.

Matthew G. Moisan

HEIKA: Hey Matthew, Barnes' contract is up at the end of the season, and he is basically on a year-to-year basis with the Stars right now.

He is 37 and will not turn 38 until December. He played 79 games this season after playing 82 games last season, so I believe he still is a valuable and effective player.

If Jeff Halpern were still here, I would say they probably would not re-sign Barnes, as they would have already had a veteran checking-line player, and they would have wanted to make room for Joel Lundqvist. But because Halpern was traded, I think there still is a chance they re-sign Barnes. He is consistent, and he has shown the last two seasons that he only gets better as the year goes on.

I still think there's a very good chance he returns.

Q: So why the goalie call-up by the Stars? Is something up?

Nancy S.

HEIKA: No, they just like to have three around in the playoffs, so if the No. 1 goalie wants the day off, you can still run a full practice. Also, it's good for a young kid to come up and hang around the playoff experience.

I think the Stars want Tobias Stephan to be their backup goalie next season, and this is a great start to get the ball moving in that direction.

Q: I was at the game Sunday. As you know, it was very entertaining. I went to the game in low spirits because the game was meaningless for both teams in terms of the standings. I thought the Stars might play hard because they needed some momentum going into the playoffs. Regardless, I was pretty surprised at what a spirited game it was. Do you have any insight into why the Sharks were such willing participants in the physical game and why so many tempers were flaring?

Tim T.

HEIKA: Hey Tim, Steve Ott has targeted Joe Thornton all season, and I think he finally got under Thornton's skin. Once Thornton got involved by trying to stick up for a teammate, I think all of the Sharks just got sucked in.

It would be like Mike Modano starting a fight – every Stars player would rush to his defense.

That is the one interesting thing about Ott's antics. He typically targets a high-end player, so that will bring everyone into the mix. But he has to be very careful, because you can get a team off of its game or you can wake a sleeping giant.

Q: Mike ... Dude. How wrong could you be about the East with your predictions? Time to brush up on your Eastern Conference coverage. For the record, I had Montreal getting in at seventh or eighth. Last season was fraught with things beyond the Canadiens' control: flu epidemics, injuries, distractions, etc. Again, you know I'm just yankin' yer chain.

"In Bob Gainey we trust"

Gary (Canadiens fan)

HEIKA: I did the same thing last year.

I nailed the West and was a mess in the East.

I used to be better when I was the NHL guy and I could sit at home and watch Center Ice, but now that I'm the beat guy, it's just not as easy to stay up with the other conference.

Q: Is there anything we need to worry about with Brad Richards? I know he said that learning the Stars' system is taking longer than he had thought it would. I have seen a lot of comments blaming the trade on the Stars' March downfall. That is rubbish. I really like Richards, and I think if Tippett would ever get lines settled and stop changing things around so much, Richards would start to shine. Right now, I think he is feeling pressure to be the savior of this team, and that's not going to happen. One man cannot do it alone. Anyway, I have been concerned about him and his mood and attitude about being here. We certainly don't want to lose his skill or his enthusiasm.

Anita M.

HEIKA: Hey Anita, in talking to a lot of people about Richards, I think he's just a really quiet guy who really wants to win.

The expectations are there every game with his $7.8 million contract, so he understands pressure. He's not a rental player, and he'll be here for a while, so I think that will help him, but the bottom line is Brad Richards was brought in to help the Stars win playoff games.

He's not their savior, but he has a pretty specific job description.

Q: For faceoff wins, is it ultimate control of the puck that determines who won the faceoff?

It seems like there's the initial split-second "control" of the puck where the center may have quicker reflexes than the opponent but then in the immediate process of getting the puck out of the faceoff circle, there's a mad scrum to get ultimate control.

David K.

HEIKA: Hey David, the way I read it is that ultimate possession is the indicator of a faceoff win.

So while the man in the circle is responsible and gets the stat, these really are team wins and team losses.