Dallas, TX
5 things to know about the Stars-Avalanche series in Round 2 of Stanley Cup playoffs
The Dallas Stars have reached the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second consecutive year after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in seven games in their first-round matchup.
Dallas advances to face the Colorado Avalanche, a Central Division rival, in the second round. Colorado cruised to a 4-1 first-round victory over the Winnipeg Jets.
The Stars, as the Western Conference regular season champions, have home-ice advantage, meaning they’ll host Games 1 and 2 as well as Games 5 and 7 (if necessary) at American Airlines Center.
The series will start Tuesday, with Game 1 scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. Game 2 will start at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
Here are five things to know about the Stars’ second-round matchup:
A pivotal playoff foe
The Stars have never reached the Stanley Cup Final without going through the Colorado Avalanche. In five postseason meetings, the Stars hold the 3-2 advantage with wins in the 1998-99 season, 1999-2000 season and 2019-20 season.
Their most recent meeting was in the second round of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoff bubble when the Stars won in seven games.
Dallas’ three wins all required a Game 7. Colorado’s two wins were decided in only five games in 2003-04 and 2005-06.
Record doesn’t tell whole story
As division opponents, the Stars and Avalanche met four times in the regular season and Colorado won the series 3-1.
Colorado won the first three meetings — two of which were blowouts — while Dallas came away with arguably its best win of the season on April 7 by a 7-4 margin on the road. That win was key in clinching both the Central Division and Western Conference titles.
The circumstances in which the Stars faced the Avalanche this season were not easy. Dallas’ two road games came on the second night of a back-to-back, and the second home game Jan. 4 was the night Miro Heiskanen collided with Scott Wedgewood and was injured in the third period, leading Dallas to blow a two-goal lead with 10 minutes to play in a 5-4 overtime loss.
The Stars won’t have to worry about back-to-backs in the playoffs. Colorado’s Ball Arena is a difficult environment in which to play, but the Stars will start the series at home as the higher seed.
Avalanche started playoffs hot
The Avalanche lead the NHL this postseason with a whopping 5.6 goals per game. While most other teams saw their goal average decrease in the playoffs, Colorado’s soared. The Avalanche also managed to do so against Winnipeg — one of the best defensive teams in the league with Vezina front-runner Connor Hellebuyck in net.
They are led by forward Nathan MacKinnon, who finished second in the race for the Art Ross Trophy with 140 points in the regular season. He already has nine postseason points (two goals, seven assists) in just five games.
Two other Avalanche players also have nine points — forward Mikko Rantanen and defenseman Cale Makar, a finalist for this year’s Norris Trophy.
On the flip side, the Avalanche allowed 3.0 goals per game, which is the highest among teams advancing to the second round.
Colorado enters series fresh
The Colorado-Winnipeg series was projected to be the toughest first-round matchup in the league with many assuming it would require seven games.
However, Colorado closed it out in five, ending Winnipeg’s season on Tuesday.
With the Stars-Avalanche series starting Tuesday, Colorado will have a full week off the ice by the time the series gets going. That’s a rare break in the postseason and it allows the players to be well-rested entering the Dallas series.
It may not be the worst situation if the Stars have to jump into another series. After having nearly a week off following their last regular season game, the Stars dropped two straight to Vegas at home to start the playoffs.
The quick turnaround could allow Dallas to build on its four-game win streak and Colorado to cool off from its hot start offensively.
Familiar faces on both sides
A handful of Stars and Avalanche players will reunite with their former teams.
For the Stars, Matt Duchene will return to where he began his NHL career. The first-year Dallas forward spent 8.5 seasons in Colorado from 2009-18. It was the longest stop of his career before playing for Ottawa, Columbia, Nashville and now Dallas.
On Colorado’s side, Joel Kiviranta, Valeri Nichushkin and Andrew Cogliano will all return to Dallas.
Kiviranta left most recently, as he was a part of Dallas’ Western Conference finals roster last season. He played four total years in Dallas. Nichushkin started his career with the Stars, spending four various years with the team from 2013-19. Cogliano was in Dallas for three seasons from 2018-21.
Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
2026 has already been a year of fresh horrors for beleaguered Downtown Dallas, and this past week dumped salt in the wound.
In the span of about 24 hours, the urban core was hit with the news that it would be losing three more iconic anchors: the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Stars and the Neiman Marcus flagship store.
After nearly convincing the city of Dallas to agree to knock down its architecturally significant City Hall to keep the team downtown, the Mavericks announced plans to decamp to Valley View — the development site at the doorstep of Preston Hollow that’s mostly been laid to waste after Beck Ventures bought it in 2012.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, whose signature political move is finger-pointing, did what he does best: issued a statement after the fact and he blamed someone else.
“We must fight for the city of tomorrow rather than worship decaying, outdated government buildings from bygone eras,” he wrote, referencing the groundswell of opposition to the City Hall demo plan from Dallasites, whom, it bears reminding, elected him to represent them.
The week got worse when the Stars confirmed they’re leaving American Airlines Center, which, like a Leonardo DiCaprio girlfriend, was deemed outdated at 25 years old. Then, bankrupt Saks Global made a final decision to shutter the Neiman Marcus flagship store at 1618 Main Street in September.
The one-two-three punch exacerbated an already dismal year for downtown, which kicked off with the news that its primary office anchor AT&T is ditching its 2 million-square-foot office footprint downtown and setting up shop in Plano.
Meanwhile, Plano’s star — and a replica of Dallas’ iconic Reunion Tower — continues to rise, buoyed by the news that Samsung is shifting its stateside business operations from Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, to the north Dallas suburb.
Guinness World recordholder tops DFW broker charts
Home construction may have fallen off its post-pandemic peak in Texas, but the broker who made a name for himself selling Lone Star State new builds is still on top. Ben Caballero of HomesUSA.com once again towered over his peers in The Real Deal’s latest ranking of the region’s top broker teams and brokerages by total dollar volume. The Guinness World recordholder for most annual homes sold through the MLS closed $2.43 billion across 4,923 transactions between April 1, 2025, and April 1, 2026, with his average sale coming in at $493,724.
Long-stalled Four Seasons condos secure massive loan
The Four Seasons Private Residences Lake Austin, which was announced in 2021, is finally getting off the ground. Austin Capital Partners and its third development partner on the project, Lincoln Property Company, secured an $870 million construction loan to build the condo project. New York-based TYKO Capital provided the loan. Adelaide Real Estate, Cobalt Equities and JLL arranged the financing. The project will feature an unspecified number of private residences, 28 villa lots, a private marina with 50 boat slips and amenities operated by Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts at 6507 Bridge Point Parkway, about 10 miles west of Downtown Austin.
Nitya Capital hits distress patch
About a year after Swapnil Agarwal’s Houston syndication firm seemed saved by a $700 million refi deal, Nitya Capital is back to fending off distress. The firm got foreclosure notices for three North Texas apartment complexes, totaling 847 units, indicating Nitya defaulted on more than $70 million in loans from New York-based One William Street Capital Management. The foreclosures aren’t the first rumblings of distress for Nitya since the refi deal. A $66 million commercial mortgage-backed securities loan tied to two apartment complexes owned by Nitya was flagged for special servicing in October.
Read more
Meet the Becks, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks arena site at Valley View
Long-awaited Four Seasons Lake Austin condo project lands $870M construction loan
Dallas Stars freeze out Downtown Dallas, American Airlines Center
Downtown Dallas flagship Neiman Marcus to shutter
DHJ Quick Take: James Barlowe Breaks Down the Mavericks’ 2026 NBA Draft Options
NBA Draft analyst James Barlowe joined the Dallas Hoops Journal podcast to assess how the Dallas Mavericks should use the No. 9, No. 30, and No. 48 picks to build around Cooper Flagg.
- What’s next? The 2026 NBA Draft is scheduled for late June.
- Who broke it down? NBA Draft analyst James Barlowe of NBA Big Board and NBA Draft Junkies.
- Who could Dallas target at No. 9? Mikel Brown Jr., Kingston Flemings, Brayden Burries, and Nate Ament.
- Why does it matter? The Mavericks are building around Cooper Flagg under a new front office, with no head coach yet in place.
DALLAS — As the 2026 NBA Draft continues to approach, the Dallas Mavericks face some important decisions to continue to build around franchise cornerstone Cooper Flagg.
NBA Draft expert James Barlowe made an appearance on the Dallas Hoops Journal podcast to break down the Mavericks’ options with their picks. He covers the draft for NBA Big Board on Substack and the NBA Draft Junkies YouTube channel.
The Mavericks control the No. 9, No. 30, and No. 48 overall selections, with a front office led by Masai Ujiri, who oversees basketball operations as president and alternate governor, and Mike Schmitz, the general manager. Additionally, the team has not yet hired a head coach.
“You have your box office, your franchise player,” Barlowe said, comparing Dallas to teams such as the Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz that have searched for a centerpiece for years.
Barlowe said the 19-year-old produced against the league’s top wings and improved as the season progressed, and he projected Flagg to be an All-Star soon, potentially even next season. Barlowe identified a more consistent catch-and-shoot jumper as the primary area for improvement after winning the NBA’s Rookie of the Year honor.
Barlowe also addressed Kyrie Irving, who is returning from a torn ACL. He said a smart front office would consider trade offers from teams on different timelines. If the Mavericks keep Irving, Barlowe said, the ideal selection at No. 9 would be a guard who can play alongside him and eventually take over the position.
Barlowe identified Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., Houston’s Kingston Flemings, Arizona’s Brayden Burries, and Tennessee forward Nate Ament as top prospects likely to be available at No. 9.
He called Brown the best long-term point guard in the class and said Dallas should not hesitate to select him if he is available. Barlowe said the Mavericks should prioritize guards who can shoot, pass, and defend, citing the rosters built by the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks.
Barlowe disputed the notion that Ujiri values size above all else. “He’s a rule changer instead of a rule follower,” Barlowe said, describing Ujiri as an executive who drafts the best player available.
Barlowe detailed how the Mavericks should consider trading down to acquire assets, noting their limited control of future first-round picks. Additionally, he stated that value remains at No. 30 despite a wave of players returning to college under name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, while sharing some prospects to monitor in the late first and second rounds.
The 2026 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 23 and June 24.
DALLAS – A multi-vehicle crash early Saturday morning left one person dead and another critically injured in West Dallas, authorities said.
Fatal Dallas crash
What we know:
Dallas Police officers responded to a call for service at 2:10 a.m. near the intersection of North Walton Walker Boulevard and Singleton Boulevard.
A preliminary investigation by traffic detectives determined that multiple vehicles were involved in the crash. One individual died at the scene. Authorities have not yet released the identity of the deceased pending notification of next of kin.
Another person sustained substantial injuries and was rushed by first responders to a local hospital, where they remain in critical condition, according to police.
Officers arrested one individual at the scene of the crash. Police did not immediately disclose the identity of the person taken into custody or the specific charges they might face in connection with the fatal incident.
The circumstances surrounding what caused the multi-vehicle wreck remain unclear as the investigation continues.
Dallas Police stated that the investigation is ongoing.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Dallas Police Department.
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