Dallas, TX
Game Day Guide: Stars vs Jets | Dallas Stars
First Shift 🏒
The Stars are in the middle of their eighth playoff series in three years, so they seem pretty comfortable.
Yes, there will be a lot on the line on Saturday with a 3-2 lead in a best-of-seven series against the Winnipeg Jets with Game 6 at home, but coach Pete DeBoer said the team likes the pressure and the opportunity.
“I think, if anything, it’s exactly what I thought it would be,” DeBoer said of the back and forth in a series with the team that had the best regular season record in the NHL. “If you’re playing the Presidents’ Trophy winning team, the best team in the regular season, the best defensive team in the regular season…I mean, their analytics were very good on both ends of the puck. So we’ve gotten exactly what we expected to get. And so that’s why I don’t think there’s any surprise we’re in the spot we’re in and excited about a chance to win this at home in Game 6.”
The Stars battled through a tough Colorado series and won on home ice in Game 7. This is kinda like a Game 7, because Dallas has lost its last two games in Winnipeg and been outscored 8-0 in the process. In fact, the Stars are 5-1 at American Airlines Center in the playoffs with 3.83 goals per game and a GAA of 2.50. Winnipeg, meanwhile, is 0-5 on the road in the playoffs with 1.60 goals per game and a 5.00 GAA. It’s been night and day for both teams, but DeBoer said those are just numbers.
“Listen, our home rink is a big advantage for us. Our home crowd’s a big advantage for us. It has been my entire time here,” DeBoer said. “We have to approach this like a Game 7, even though we have the luxury of it not being a Game 7, and make sure that we know they’re going to be there, the fans are going to be there, that environment’s going to be there. We’ve got to take advantage of that.”
The Stars saw defenseman Miro Heiskanen return to the lineup two games ago after battling a lengthy absence caused by a knee injury, and DeBoer said the veteran leader looked better in Game 2 than he did in Game 1. Heiskanen saw his minutes go up to 18:33 from 15 in the first game, and that’s still significantly lower than the 25 or so he has played in past playoff runs.
“He started to do what he does,” DeBoer said. “He started to grab the puck and transition it up the ice and break down the other team’s defense, which is important in this series. Everybody is above everybody else, so you need that push from the back end, the Harleys, the Heiskanens, that’s a key piece.”
To give Heiskanen a cushion in his two games, the Stars have used an alignment of seven defensemen instead of the usual six. While there will be discussion of changing that back to six defensemen with 12 forwards, DeBoer said there still are advantages to having an extra guy on the blue line as Heiskanen shakes the rust off.
“I think it all depends,” DeBoer said. “If we go to 12 and six, we have to be comfortable that Miro is going to play 20-plus minutes a night and not just comfortably, but can he bring to the table what he brings to us with his skating and his transition and things at 20-plus minutes? I mean, we’ve done it two games, we won one and we lost one. I don’t see our group being fatigued. Miro’s gone from 15 to 18 minutes, so we’ll have to see how he feels tomorrow.”
One of the things taking a forward out of the lineup has done is given DeBoer the opportunity to scale up the minutes of playoff scoring leader Rantanen, so that’s also something that will be in the conversation.
Whatever happens, the game is expected to have some incredible intensity. The two teams battled physically in the third period in Game 5 and Stars captain Jamie Benn received a misconduct penalty and a $5,000 fine for an altercation with Winnipeg captain Mark Scheifele. DeBoer sees that as two familiar rivals getting to a good place in a series.
“I think that’s normal,” DeBoer said. “I mean, that hatred grows in a series as the games go on. And the deeper you get in the playoffs there’s a lot at stake. I think that’s the beauty of hockey, that’s what separates it from a lot of other sports is that physical emotion that the guys play with at this time of year.”
DALLAS – Slow-moving thunderstorms brought localized flash flooding to parts of North Texas on Tuesday evening, blocking highways near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and dropping several inches of rain in portions of Tarrant and Parker counties.
Flash Flood Warnings
Local perspective:
Flash flood warnings are in effect for Hopkins, Hunt, Rains and Van Zandt counties until 7:45 p.m.
Flooding was reported along Texas 183 near Valley View Lane south of DFW Airport, where stranded vehicles and water-covered roadways created hazardous travel conditions.
A flash flood warning remained in effect near the airport, although rainfall rates had begun to diminish as the storm weakened.
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings
The National Weather Service also issued a severe thunderstorm warning for northern Hood County, citing the potential for gusty winds and small hail. Forecasters reported hail ranging from pea-sized to marble-sized in parts of Hood, Parker and Denton counties.
Forecasters attributed the weakening storms in Denton County to an outflow boundary, a meteorological feature that can disrupt thunderstorm development.
The warning area was reduced as the storm weakened near sunset.
LIVE RADAR
What they’re saying:
FOX 4’s Kylie Capps said the storms moved unusually slowly from east to west, allowing heavy rain to accumulate over the same areas for several hours.
Rainfall estimates showed some locations in eastern Parker County and western Tarrant County received nearly 5 inches of rain during a six-hour period, while areas near DFW Airport recorded more than 2 inches.
Elsewhere in North Texas, northern Rains County received nearly 5 inches of rain.
7-Day Forecast
What’s next:
Forecasters expect a quieter overnight period, with only isolated showers lingering into the evening. Additional thunderstorms are possible Wednesday afternoon, though coverage and the threat of severe weather are expected to remain limited.
Temperatures are forecast to reach about 90 degrees Wednesday.
Rain chances are expected to continue through the remainder of the workweek and into the weekend as an upper-level low-pressure system sends multiple disturbances across North Texas.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4’s Weather Team
Monday was a wild day for the NFL with two blockbuster trades. First was Myles Garrett, who both the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles were rumored to have interest in.
Cowboys fans never bought into these rumors, knowing that Jerry Jones was unlikely to make such an investment. The Eagles, however, have been known to get aggressive. Thankfully for Dallas fans, they didn’t make the move as the Cleveland Browns sent Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Verse and a package of picks.
Not long after that trade was finalized, the Eagles did wind up making a trade. After months of speculation surrounding A.J. Brown and the New England Patriots, the two sides made it official as Brown was reunited with Mike Vrabel in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder.
Dallas Cowboys could take the NFC East crown in 2026
The writing has been on the wall all offseason regarding Brown, who has been unhappy with the Eagles for a while. His departure seemed confirmed when they traded up with Dallas in the 2026 NFL draft for USC receiver Makai Lemon.
While Lemon has the tools to be a difference-maker, he won’t be able to perform at the same level as Brown during his rookie season. The Eagles do still have DeVonta Smith at receiver as well as running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Jalen Hurts.
That said, there’s no denying that they’re weaker this season than they were with Brown. Just as important, however, is the fact that general manager Howie Roseman didn’t pull off a shocking move for Garrett, which would have made them the overwhelming favorites in the division.
Cowboys chances hinge on defensive changes
Another reason the Cowboys are confident they can hang with Philadelphia this season is the presence of Christian Parker, who they hired as their defensive coordinator after he spent the past two seasons as the passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach with the Eagles.
Parker brings in a new scheme and plenty of confidence, but more importantly, he has several new weapons at his disposal. Dallas traded for veterans Rashan Gary and Dee Winters, signed Jalen Thompson and Cobie Durant, and selected Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence in the draft.
Those are just some of the moves they made on defense, and they’re banking on that to be enough to help propel them past the team that has won the division the past two seasons.
— Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI —
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
-
Denver, CO48 seconds agoDenver-ish Central Market? RiNo food hall vendors claim they’ve been pushed out
-
Seattle, WA8 minutes agoNew Ben & Jerry’s location opening at Seattle waterfront’s Pier 54
-
San Diego, CA11 minutes agoPadres designate Nick Castellanos for assignment
-
Milwaukee, WI16 minutes ago21 Things to Do During Pride Month in Milwaukee
-
Atlanta, GA23 minutes agoMiguel Almirón: World Cup profile | Paraguay & Atlanta United midfielder | MLSSoccer.com
-
Minneapolis, MN26 minutes agoCantus vocal ensemble takes on Dolly Parton hits
-
Indianapolis, IN31 minutes agoThat trail you walk downtown? It’s generated $3 billion for Indianapolis, study finds
-
Pittsburg, PA38 minutes agoAbout 5 pounds of bees removed from Acrisure Stadium scaffolding ahead of Morgan Wallen concerts
