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Despite Game 1 loss, Jim Nill’s Dallas Stars are built to bounce back vs. Avalanche

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Despite Game 1 loss, Jim Nill’s Dallas Stars are built to bounce back vs. Avalanche


Jim Nill could teach Nico Harrison a thing or two about how to make a trade that sends shock waves through the rest of the league without pulling the props out from under your own front porch in the process. Both general managers made blockbuster deadline moves in an attempt to win now. As of Friday night, Nico’s officially a year in arrears.

Even after Saturday’s 5-1 opening-game loss to Colorado at American Airlines Center, Nill still has a pretty good shot at his first Stanley Cup as a GM.

Might as well go ahead and win it all now, too, before people start to think it’s a Dallas thing.

On one hand, the Stars go into Game 2 with not just one eight-game losing streak but two. There’s eight straight this season as well as eight in a row leading off a playoff series.

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On the other hand, they’ve bounced back after a Game 1 loss before. Five of the last seven playoff series, to be exact.

“There’s no confidence issue,” said Pete DeBoer, who seemed to believe it.

Certainly the Stars are good enough to turn this around. Also good enough to win their first championship this century. Even without Jason Robertson for a few more games, and Saturday’s evidence to the contrary, they’ve got the firepower and the goalie in Jake Oettinger.

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Once Miro Heiskanen returns — he looked like he might be close at Saturday’s morning skate — they’ll have enough defense.

“He’s a world-class player,” Thomas Harley said, “and we miss him.”

Unfortunately, the Stars’ bigger problem Saturday was they didn’t miss Mackenzie Blackwood nearly enough. Just once, in fact, on a power-play goal by Roope Hintz in the third, when Blackwood’s stick was stuck in the net.

The breakthrough cut Colorado’s lead to 2-1, which is when it all went to pieces. The Avs’ last three goals included an empty netter and another goal so bad it nearly emptied the building.

If there’s been any criticism of Nill’s deadline work, it’s that he doubled down on offense with the acquisition of Mikko Rantanen instead of dressing up his blue line. Rantanen is clearly still feeling his way along. As for DeBoer’s defense, he said his only problem was giving Colorado eight minutes of power play to play with.

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In the scoreless first period, it was tough sledding for both teams. Broken sticks littered the ice like driftwood on a beach.

Full coverage: Stars’ Game 1 woes continue as Avalanche pull away with late flurry

But, even before Colorado’s late barrage, they proved to be the better team Saturday. Through two periods, as the Avs took a 2-0 lead, they’d won more face-offs (24-17), outshot (18-17) and outhit (23-12) the Stars, who looked like they were still trying to shake the cobwebs out of their heads from a seven-game losing streak to end the regular season.

Were the Avs also lucky? Sure. They got their first goal after Oettinger stopped Artturi Lehkonen’s shot, only to watch the rebound hit Lehkonen’s skate as he slid toward the crease, the puck caroming over Otter’s shoulder.

“Hell of a soccer play,” DeBoer said, smiling.

On a Colorado power play after Hintz’s double-minor, Nathan MacKinnon also flicked a puck that clipped Otter’s glove.

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That was pretty much all that was needed Saturday to undo the Stars, who haven’t won the first game of a playoff series since 2020. Not ideal to keep digging themselves a hole early, but not a deal-killer, either.

Even if they don’t pull this series out, chances are nobody’s getting fired. Certainly not Nill. Could Pete DeBoer be on the hot seat? He got 106 points out of a team missing its best player (Heiskanen) and Tyler Seguin for a chunk of the season. Some bitterness lingers from how he handled the end of the Stars’ playoff run last year, but Nill isn’t firing him now.

Not when he lacks a front-line replacement for a team built to win now.

For the record, Nico’s probably not getting fired, either, even if he deserves it for trading Luka Doncic. For one thing, Patrick Dumont backed the trade publicly. He can’t back off Nico now.

Besides, before making the worst trade in Dallas sports history, Nico had shown a knack for making deals that led to a conference finals appearance and a finals run. He should get the opportunity to prove he can still make this work.

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Missing the playoffs again next year ought to do it for all those unhappy campers out there.

Maybe even a one-and-done.

Fortunately, the Stars, though down a game once again, play on. Even if most left early, enough fans hung around with two minutes left to mount a decent “Fire Nico” chant. Only one GM working at AAC is safe these days.

Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN

    Stars-Avalanche playoff central: Final scores, top stories and more
    Avalanche’s Mackenzie Blackwood stuffs Stars, outclasses Jake Oettinger in playoff debut

Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.



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Our Least Favorite Dallas Cowboys 2026 NFL Draft Pick

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Our Least Favorite Dallas Cowboys 2026 NFL Draft Pick


It’s hard to find much fault at all with the Dallas Cowboys draft class this season.

Dallas shored up three of their biggest holes on defense by selecting safety Caleb Downs, EDGE Malachi Lawrence, and linebacker Jaishawn Barham with their first three picks. They also added another linebacker, bringing in veteran Dee Winters in exchange for a fifth-round pick.

We already dove into which selection was our favorite from the class, which was an easy decision. Downs checks every box and has been called a perfect fit for new defensive coordinator Christian Parker.

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Least favorite pick has nothing to do with talent

Choosing Downs was easy when it came to a favorite pick, but deciding on which one is the least favorite is far more difficult. Dallas maximized value and filled needs at every position, but if there was one pick that had question marks, it was Devin Moore, the Florida cornerback who was taken at No. 114 in Round 4.

To be upfront, there’s nothing to dislike about Moore as a player. He’s a talented boundary cornerback and he proved himself against some of the elite players in the SEC. The only true concern is his injury history.

While Moore played in 11 games this past season, he never suited up for more than seven in his three previous campaigns. He missed roughly 20 games due to injuries, with shoulder issues ending his 2022 and 2024 campaigns early. Prior to the draft, Dane Brugler said Moore’s injury history is a “major red flag.”

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Devin Moore could prove the doubters wrong

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Devin Moore goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images
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Despite the red flags, Brugler saw a player with “rare height and body length,” making him someone to keep an eye on.

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The Cowboys decided it was worth the roll of the dice, but it’s not an easy gamble to make. Dallas saw multiple cornerbacks battle injuries in 2025, including DaRon Bland. They were unable to turn to 2025 third-round pick Shavon Revel Jr. as he was rehabbing a torn ACL.

That’s what makes this the “least favorite” selection, even though Moore has the talent to make the pick look brilliant.

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Cowboys have shaky history when gambling on injury concerns

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. celebrates after a play during the first half against the Minnesota Vikings. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Of course, it’s going to be hard to sell fans on a player with so many injuries in the past.

Dallas hasn’t had a great track record when gambling in this department. They’re still waiting on Revel, but have also struck out with their own players.

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In 2022, Michael Gallup signed a five-year, $62.5 million extension while recovering from a torn ACL. He was never the same player, and was released following the 2023 season.

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They also bet on Terence Steele following a torn ACL suffered in 2022. He signed a new deal ahead of the 2023 season, landing a five-year, $86.8 million extension. While Steele has had more success than Gallup, he hasn’t lived up to that contract and has struggled to regain the form he had before the knee injury.

The good news with Moore is that it’s not a knee issue, and he isn’t on a massive contract. Still, there’s some risk here and it’s at a position where they need less risk.

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FIFA Fan Fest is coming and parking prices may surprise you

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FIFA Fan Fest is coming and parking prices may surprise you


FIFA World Cup 2026 is about a month away and the FIFA Fan Festival at Fair Park is expected to be one of the biggest draws for soccer fans coming to Dallas from around the globe.

The event features live match broadcasts, concerts and other events from June 11 to July 19. With crowds expected throughout the monthlong celebration, parking on private property around Fair Park could reach prices unlike what many visitors have seen before.

Nathan Jones, a South Dallas homeowner licensed by the city, offers 10 parking spots in his backyard.

He said the price depends on the special event happening at Fair Park. For the State Fair of Texas, Jones said he can charge about $30. For Texas-OU weekend, he can charge up to $100. Jones said he expects to charge up to $250 per spot during FIFA Fan Fest.

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“Since it’s a month-long, that’s a month worth of parking versus us having to wait until the weekend to make our money,” Jones said. “We can make money throughout the week, so hopefully we can capitalize.”

The city of Dallas is allowing private property owners in the Fair Park designated parking area to apply for a $100 license and charge motorists up to 150% of that fee. That means the maximum parking price would top out at $250 per vehicle.

Zach Thompson, who owns Southside Parking, said the setup can benefit both the city and South Dallas property owners.

“We provide a safer parking opportunity than what you find a lot of times inside Fair Park,” Thompson said. “We stay with the vehicles, we monitor them, we make sure that there is no issue.”

Thompson said visitors should make sure they are parking in a permitted lot.

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“Let me be real clear … they gotta be careful, if you try to park on the street or take you on the back streets,” Thompson said. “They’re not permitted. Only the permitted parking lots are in the Fair Park grounds.”

FIFA parking license holders must apply by June 3 and pay the $100 license fee.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.



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Police say a crash led to an attempted carjacking and a fatal shooting in Garland

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Police say a crash led to an attempted carjacking and a fatal shooting in Garland


A man was shot and killed while attempting to carjack another driver outside a Garland convenience store on Sunday afternoon.

Garland Police said officers were called to a crash near Highway 66 and Dairy Road at about 3:30 p.m.

When they arrived, they learned the driver of a green car had collided with two other vehicles on the road and then all of the drivers involved stopped at a gas station on the corner. That’s where police said the driver of the green car attempted to take several other vehicles in the gas station parking lot by force.

The man was seen checking car handles and managed to get inside one car, but was unable to drive away.

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“Those attempts were unsuccessful,” police said.

The man then crossed Dairy Road and went to a convenience store parking lot. As a man in a Chevrolet Impala pulled into the parking lot, police said the driver involved in the crash confronted him as soon as he stopped and started to get out of the vehicle.

Police said the man’s family was in the Impala, including two adult women and five children.

There was a struggle between the two men and police said the driver of the Impala pulled out a gun and shot the other man at least once.

The injured man was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died. His identity will be released once his family has been notified of his death.

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No other injuries were reported.

Police said the driver of the Impala remained at the scene and has been cooperative with investigators. No charges have been filed.

The investigation remains ongoing.



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