Apr 25, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center R.J. Umberger (18) celebrates his goal against Dallas Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen (32) during the third period at the American Airlines Center. The Blue Jackets defeated the Stars 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

the Dallas Stars have failed to make the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.

It couldn’t have been a worse start for Dallas, as Columbus got on the scoreboard with just 19 seconds on the clock. Cam Atkinson took advantage of some poor defending and slammed home a rebound from close range.

In a period that seriously lacked any offense for the Stars, Eric Nystrom provided the only bright spark as he and Dalton Prout dropped the gloves in an impressive tilt midway through the frame.

Despite a late period surge form Dallas, the first period finished with the Blue Jackets leading 1-0. Columbus also lead in shots 13-9, with Kari Lehtonen playing well to keep the Stars within a goal.

Both teams exchanged decent chances early in the second, but both goaltenders stood strong.

The Stars went on the powerplay midway through the period and took advantage of having the extra man on ice when Jamie Benn tallyied his 12th of the season. He received a lovely pass from Erik Cole, and comfortably scored past Bobrovsky.

The second frame was a physical one, with both teams throwing big hits as well as a second fight of the game, this time between Lane Macdermid and Jared Boll. Dallas lead the shots 15-10 but the score was nicely poised at 1-1 heading into the final period.

Both teams knew scoring the first goal in that final frame would be a massive advantage. It was Columbus who did just that, with Mark Letestu firing an impressive slapshot past Kari Lehtonen on the powerplay.

With just under two minutes left in the game, the Blue Jackets sealed the two points when Cam Atkinson bagged his second goal of the night in similar fashion to his first.

It is obviously disappointing that playoff hockey will not be coming to Dallas again this season. However, seeing as the Stars lost a lot of their offense at the trade deadline, credit has to be given to Dallas for keeping even the most unlikely playoff chances alive until the penultimate game of the season. This young group has a lot of passion and desire, so hopefully a better 2013/14 campaign looms.

The final game of the season for Dallas is on Saturday night when they host the Detroit Red Wings. With a victory, the Stars could prevent their rivals from making the post season.

Mar 29, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars right wing Erik Cole (72) takes the ice to face the Minnesota Wild at the American Airlines Center. The Stars defeated the Wild 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Without seeing any playoff hockey for four seasons straight, being a Stars fan has been tough of late. The fact that I live just under 5,000 miles away from Dallas makes it that much harder!

Despite living so far away, the Stars hold a special place in my heart. I started supporting them when I was seven-years-old and did so because of one man, Mike Modano! This guy was everything a professional athlete should be; passionate, loyal and a true team player. He didn’t just get me into Stars hockey, he got me into hockey full force.

A standard 7:30 p.m. central time face off is a 1:30 a.m. start time for me in the UK, and I finally get to bed at around 4 a.m. When the Stars travel the West coast, games start at 3:30 a.m. For these games I will have a pre-game nap before watching, and won’t go back to bed until the sun has risen!

Finding Stars merchandise over here is a tough task, but I have two jerseys, one for Modano and the other for Jamie Benn. Thanks to a good friend from Texas, I have managed to get quite a lot of signed photos, which mean a lot to me!

Hockey is currently a small sport in the UK, but it is certainly a growing one. Our national team made it to the final stages of qualification for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, but missed out. In a few days time they head to Hungary to take part in the World Championships.

We have two main hockey leagues, the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) and the EPL (English Premier League). The EIHL is a professional league and attracted NHLers Drew Miller, Matt Beleskey and Anthony Stewart during the recent lockout.

As far as NHL coverage goes, we don’t get a lot over here. We have one television channel that shows around fives games a week. These games are totally random, so we get to see a wide variety of teams.

Luckily I am a subscriber to NHL Game Center live, so I can watch every Stars game with the awesome broadcasting team of Ralph Strangis and Daryl Reaugh!

The NHL is definitely becoming more popular in the UK. With the NFL now hosting two games every season in London, we are very keen on bringing some NHL action over as well!

So, the next time you are annoyed after a Stars loss, at least it isn’t 4 a.m. in Texas hey?!