Dallas, TX
Golden Knights edge Dallas 3-2 on late goal, deny Stars’ bid to clinch a playoff berth
Reilly Smith scored the tiebreaking goal with 3:38 left in the third period and the Vegas Golden Knights beat Dallas 3-2 on Sunday night, denying the Stars’ bid to clinch a playoff berth.
Vegas’ Mitch Marner skated into the high slot and his shot ricocheted off two Dallas players and landed near Smith, who scored from close range past a defenseless Casey DeSmith. The deciding goal came after the teams played more than seven minutes without a whistle.
Brayden McNabb and Ivan Barbashev also scored for Vegas, which snapped a three-game skid and won for just the third time in nine games. Adin Hill made 13 saves for the Golden Knights, who outshot Dallas 33-15.
Dallas’ Wyatt Johnston set a franchise single-season record with his NHL-leading 23rd power-play goal. Johnston held the mark for the most in a season since the Stars moved to Dallas in 1993-94. His latest moved him past Dino Ciccarelli (1986-87) for the most for the Minnesota-Dallas franchise.
Justin Hryckowian also scored for Dallas (43-16-11), which is five points behind Western Division-leading Colorado (102). The Avalanche lead the NHL and Western Conference with a record of 46-13-10. DeSmith stopped 30 shots as the Stars lost for the third time in four games. Sam Steel had two assists.
McNabb opened the scoring at the 4:01 mark of the first period, carrying the puck out of his own zone, splitting two defenders and beating DeSmith low to the glove side.
Johnston scored his 38th of the season on a power play at 10:55 of the second, and Hryckowian put the Stars ahead with his 11th of the season at 16:48.
Barbashev tied the game at 2, scoring on a power play at 16:48 of the second after Nils Lundkvist was sent off for slashing. Barbashev took a feed from Brett Howden and scored from a tough angle near the side of the net.
Golden Knights: At the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
Stars: Host the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
If Dak Prescott is lost for an extended period of time in 2026, the Dallas Cowboys are what scientists call “hosed.” Unlike in 2022, when the Cowboys’ defense was good enough to hold down the fort in his absence, the current Dallas roster isn’t built to survive a long-term loss of their lead signal-caller. A short-term loss, on the other hand, might be survivable.
Depending how the backup quarterbacks look this summer, the Cowboys may be able to stay afloat without Prescott for a game or two, and Joe Milton and Sam Howell will be given every opportunity to prove themselves in practices. Milton, entering Year 2 in Dallas, has the inside track. The 6-foot-5, 246-pound product of Tennessee comes with an elite physical skillset. If the Cowboys can pick one guy to hit his potential, Milton’s the guy.
Howell, 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, isn’t the physical specimen Milton is, but he comes with 18 career starts under his belt and some ability to read defenses and anticipate throws. Howell’s roughly the same age as Milton but his ceiling isn’t nearly as high, so the onus is likely on him to beat out Milton.
In many ways, the Cowboys offense is a backup quarterback’s dream. Ceedee Lamb, George Pickens and Ryan Flournoy may be the best trio in the NFL this year, while Javonte Williams and the running game are one of the most reliable rushing attacks.
The only less-than-ideal part of the Cowboys offense is the pass protection on the edges. Whoever wins the QB2 job will have to be working on a clock because the ball may need to come out fast. Oh yeah, there’s also that pesky defensive situation to work around.
Under Christian Parker, the Dallas defense is expected to be better in 2026 but coming off a historically poor season, massive improvement is unlikely. Based on that, simply driving the bus at quarterback may not be enough to secure victory.
The launch of Dallas’s new “Dallas Go” water billing system has sparked widespread frustration, overwhelming the city’s 311 lines with 35-minute wait times due to confusing account features, unexpected convenience fees, and massive billing errors.
Kurt: The situation does seem a bit odd, doesn’t it? How often is a first-round pick seemingly overlooked? But because the fanfare surrounding Downs has been so overwhelming, Lawrence has sort of gone about his business under the radar.
We fully expect the former to step in at safety and be an impact player. Of course, he will. But what about the latter?
Well, Lawrence indeed should be a starter in 2026 as well. In today’s NFL, teams don’t use that kind of draft capital on players they hope to develop. They are looking for studs who can make their presence known right away despite their lack of professional experience. Meaning, the Cowboys want, or more importantly need, the Central Florida product to contribute from the get-go.
What will be interesting to see at training camp is whether Lawrence will be lining up on the edge when the first-teamers take the field. On our Hangin’ With the Boys podcast, Nate Newton has repeatedly said that first-round picks need to get first-team reps immediately. None of this ramping up or giving courtesy to the veterans. You drafted him in the first round, you expect him to play like a first-rounder, so the more reps he gets in practice, the better.
Regardless, he may be in the perfect situation. Most of the pressure that comes with that draft status will likely fall on the shoulders of Downs, which will allow Lawrence to keep doing his thing without the added glare of the spotlight.
Still, he’s a first-round pick. He’s got to produce. Now.
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