SCORE-A-PALOOZA?

Maybe its time to lay off the bashing of the Stars defensive efforts this season.

Instead, lets focus on how they seem to have the ability to overcome capitulation with capitalization.

Forty shot lapidations of the opponent are becoming commonplace.

Outscoring them out of necessity is looking more like a trait than a rarity.

Last night was the midway point of the 82 game season and it was also the 15th time they've scored 4 or more goals, topping out with that 8 goal eruption in Toronto prior to Christmas. It took 51 games for last season's team to score 4-plus fifteen times. (Of course last night's 5-4 OT win over Detroit was also the 18th time they've allowed 4 or more - something they did only 25 times all of last year - but we aren't talking about that are we.)

Twenty-five of their forty-two points have been earned in games that they have scored four or more.

Their offense rank is mid-pack (16th) which is decent considering who hasn't played much for the Stars this season (Morrow, Zubov, Lehtinen), and borderline sensational when you are reminded that their powerplay is languishing at 26th.

Loui Eriksson is top 10 in league goal scoring and rookie James Neal is co-leading all rookies in that same category.

These Stars can put the biscuit in the basket, they can fill the ole onion bag, they can light the lamp, they can...well, you get the picture. But can they score their way into the playoffs? Or, do the charitable endeavors in their own end have to come to an end too?

Games 42 to 62 will tell that tale.