Michael Ryder News

Dallas, TX, United States - In what was arguably their most important game of the season to date, the Dallas Stars came out with a flat, uninspiring performance, and are now struggling to understand just how that happened.

Feb 12, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick stops a shot by Dallas Stars center Mike Ribeiro during the first period at the American Airlines Center.

These Pacific Division rivals complete their season series Sunday night in Dallas, with the Stars looking to defeat the Kings for the fourth straight meeting.

It's interesting to see how performances from game to game are judged, whether it's a win or a loss.

This is a big game for the Stars, who are in a pack of six teams who are probably fighting for the last two playoff spots in the West.

Mike Heika, Stars beat writer for SportsDayDFW.com and The Dallas Morning News, answered your questions about the team in a live chat Thursday.

The Stars have a little fewer than 30 games remaining in their season to make the playoffs and regain some relevancy in this market.

Dec 29, 2011; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars center Steve Ott and Columbus Blue Jackets center Samuel Pahlsson exchange words during the third period at the American Airlines Center.

It's been a while since we've done a scoring chances update. The overall scoring chance picture is a little depressing so what better time to review it than a few hours before the Stars take on the lowly Jackets? In January we had an update chronicling the Stars Adjusted Scoring Chances.

Hiller Stops 31 In Ducks' Win : Jonas Hiller saved 31 of 33 shots, helping the Ducks defeat the Hurricanes 3-2 in overtime.

The Dallas Stars are hoping to put a poor performance behind them as they begin a road trip against two of the NHL's worst teams.

Stars' Ryder Finally Scores At Home : Michael Ryder scored the Stars' lone goal in Tuesday's loss to the Coyotes, the Associated Press reports.

Radim Vrbata netted the eventual game-winner in the second period and added an assist as the Phoenix Coyotes dropped the Dallas Stars, 4-1, at American Airlines Center.

When Brenden Morrow was placed on injured reserve late last week, the Stars decided to move Eric Nystrom to the second line with center Mike Ribeiro in order to try and replace Morrow with a somewhat similar player.

Beleskey On Target For Ducks : Matt Beleskey scored the second goal of the night for the Ducks against the Flames on Monday.

One of the big issues the Stars have faced this season has been the inconsistent play of the second line.

The week following the NHL's All-Star break was another emotional rollercoaster for Dallas Stars fans, marked by a big win, a big loss, and a game where they let a critical point slip away to the last team they need to be helping out.

The Stars on Friday placed Brenden Morrow on IR with neck, back and shoulder pain.

Minnesota Wild defenseman Nate Prosser is knocked to the ice by Dallas Stars center Steve Ott during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Dallas, Saturday, Feb.

With Brenden Morrow on IR for the next three games , the Stars have to try some new things.