The Dallas Stars are officially in the thick of the NHL playoffs.
Through the first round, things won’t get any easier along the path to the Stanley Cup, as the Stars try to bring it home to Dallas for the first time since the summer of ’99.
Clueless about the Stars? Don’t know any of the players? Not sure if victory green is your color?
Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of room to hop on the Stars’ bandwagon for their 2025 playoff run.
Here are five reasons to hitch a ride as the Stars continue their push to the Cup:
And boy, has it paid off already.
In March, the Stars traded Logan Stankoven — a beloved but still mostly unproven 22-year-old — two first-round draft picks and two third-round draft picks for Mikko Rantanen, a top-10 scorer in the NHL.
How good is Rantanen? Imagine if the Mavericks traded for Anthony Davis without giving up Luka Doncic. That’s the best way to describe what Stars GM Jim Nill and his staff did ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
Upon trading for Rantanen, the Stars also signed the superstar to an eight-year, $96 million contract, guaranteeing he’ll be in Dallas for nearly a decade.
And in the first postseason opportunity he got, Rantanen saved Dallas’ bacon against one of his former teams.
He scored three goals in the third period of Game 7 against the Avalanche to save the Stars’ season and help them advance to Round 2 of the playoffs.
Dallas made it through the always-challenging Colorado Avalanche even without two key players battling injuries.
Forward Jason Robertson, perhaps the Stars’ best goal-scorer on the roster, sustained a leg injury in the team’s regular-season finale and missed all of the first round. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen, a former No. 3 overall pick in the NHL draft and arguably Dallas’ best player, suffered a knee injury on Jan. 28 and had surgery.
Both players are expected to return at some point in Round 2, according to head coach Pete DeBoer, meaning this skilled Stars team could reach another level with them back in the lineup.
The Stars have gone to back-to-back Western Conference finals, and are favored to make another return.
Dallas is -165 to win its second-round series against the Jets, per FanDuel Sportsbook, even after Winnipeg finished first in the Western Conference and ended the regular season 10 points ahead of the Stars in the Central Division standings.
Of course, the conference finals aren’t the goal. The Stars are looking to get back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2020.
Jake Oettinger is only 26, but he’s already built a reputation for being at his best when the lights get bright.
Through an up-and-down first-round series, Oettinger was the one constant for Dallas, posting a .911 save percentage, the best among goalies who have started every playoff game for their team.
Maybe it’s the seemingly carefree “Otter” attitude that keeps him so loose in the playoffs.
“What more could you want as a player?” he said ahead of Game 7 against the Avs. “Ten years from now when I’m sitting on my couch watching these Game 7s, I’m going to be thinking about this moment. Just trying to enjoy every single second and have fun. I can’t control every little thing. When the buzzer sounds, I just want to be proud of my effort.”
The NHL’s playoff format may be somewhat unfair to certain teams from more competitive divisions, but it leaves plenty of excitement both early in the playoffs and leading up to them.
Year after year, the Central Division is one of the most competitive, and this season was no different. It featured two of the top three teams in the league, including the Stars and the league-leading Jets.
The Stars have already knocked out one Central Division rival in Colorado. Now they face an even bigger test against Winnipeg — but they’ve got the battle scars that show they’re ready for a fight.
Twitter: @dmn_stars
Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings point guard and WNBA Rookie of the Year, took the spotlight in women’s basketball this year. The 24-year-old arrived in Dallas after being the No. 1 selection in the WNBA draft in April, capping off an impressive collegiate run where she helped the University of Connecticut win a national championship title.
Bueckers represents the best of our star athletes. The energy and determination she brings to the game and her dedication to her teammates and community make her a finalist for 2025 Texan of the Year.
Born in Edina, Minn., Bueckers started playing basketball when she was around five years old. Her father coached her until middle school, and by the time she reached Hopkins High School, she was the No. 1 recruit in the country for the 2020 class. At the University of Connecticut, she became the face of a storied program, returning from injury to help deliver the Huskies their 12th NCAA title.
When she arrived in Dallas, the question wasn’t whether she’d make an impact — it was how quickly. The answer came fast. She was a starter in all 36 appearances for the Wings and averaged 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals this season. Her 44 points against the Los Angeles Sparks set a WNBA record for the highest single-game scoring performance by a rookie.
She’s making Wings games must-watch basketball. At home games, the stands are filled with fans wearing Bueckers’ No. 5 jersey and young girls sporting face-framing braids and a ponytail to match her signature game-day hairstyle.
Ahead of their August showdown with the Indiana Fever, the Wings moved the game from their usual home court in Arlington to the American Airlines Center due to high demand for tickets to see the matchup between Bueckers and Caitlin Clark. The Wings didn’t make it to the playoffs this year, but Bueckers gave the city something to cheer for.
But more than her athletic ability and impressive jump shots, Bueckers has shown a humility we wish was more common among stars like her. In interviews, she’s quick to give credit to her teammates, coaches and God. In 2021, at the ESPN ESPYS, after being recognized as the best college athlete in women’s sports, she used her acceptance speech to celebrate and honor Black women and their contributions to the sport.
In Dallas, Bueckers has teamed up with Verizon and Dick’s Sporting Goods to coach a youth clinic and exhibition game, eager to give back to the community and make the city feel like home while she’s here. And when she’s not training, she’s probably at another Dallas game — popping up at Stars and Cowboys games, a Trinity FC match and the Mavericks.
From her stylish game day tunnel outfits to TikTok videos dancing with her teammates to her smooth, disciplined basketball, it’s a pleasure to watch her — and we can’t wait to see what she does next.
Beginning today, we are running our Texan of the Year finalists in a countdown to naming the 2025 honorees on Sunday, Dec. 28. You can follow all of the finalists as they are published at dallasnews.com/opinion/texanoftheyear.
DALLAS – A Dallas Police investigation into a double homicide continues after the suspected gunman was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Mesquite, authorities announced.
What we know:
Dallas officers responded to a shooting call in the 15800 block of El Estado Drive in Far North Dallas at 2:40 p.m. on December 11, 2025. The preliminary investigation determined that two people had been shot.
The victims were identified as 24-year-old Arlina Sander, who died at the scene, and 27-year-old Darvilease Washington, who was taken to a local hospital where he later died.
Detectives quickly identified a possible suspect and a suspect vehicle registered in Mesquite. As Dallas detectives prepared an arrest warrant, they were notified by the Mesquite Police Department about a shooting in that city.
The suspect in the El Estado homicides was found dead in the 1000 block of Craig Drive in Mesquite, having suffered an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The suspect’s vehicle was found in the driveway.
The Dallas County Medical Examiner has identified the man as 44-year-old Jonathan Lakill Mantoy Jones. His time of death was just after 5 p.m., according to the M.E. report.
What we don’t know:
The motives and circumstances surrounding the offense are still under investigation.
Dallas Police ask anyone with information to contact Detective Paul Johnson at 469-271-6328 or via email at paul.johnson@dallaspolice.gov.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Dallas Police Department.
After a gloomy Saturday, cold temperatures moved through Dallas-Fort Worth through the evening, though the area is expected to see some sunshine on Sunday.
Temperatures are forecast to reach a high near 43 on Sunday with early morning wind chills in the 20s or lower for parts of North Texas, according to the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office.
Nighttime temperatures are likely to drop to a below-freezing 28, with wind gusts calming down in the evening after reaching as high as 30 mph during the day.
The coming week is expected to be somewhat sunny, barring some cloud cover during the night.
Starting Tuesday, the weather is supposed to get warmer with daytime temperatures in the 60s and 70s.
SUNDAY (HANUKKAH BEGINS): Partly sunny, breezy and much colder. High: 44. Wind: N 10-20 mph.
MONDAY: Mostly sunny and chilly. Low: 28. High: 53. Wind: SE 5-10 mph.
TUESDAY: Mixture of sun and clouds, mild. Low: 43. High: 63. Wind: S 10-15 mph.
WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny and warmer. Low: 53. High: 71. Wind: S 10-20 mph.
THURSDAY: Plenty of sunshine, warm. Low: 56. High: 71. Wind: N 5-10 mph.
FRIDAY: Mostly sunny and pleasant. Low: 47. High: 67. Wind: SE 5-10 mph.
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