Dallas, TX
The Dallas Stars can still score. They are now deeper and more balanced going into the NHL playoffs
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — There was a time not long ago when the Dallas Stars were far too dependent on their top line.
With a trio of 70-point scorers skating together two seasons ago, the Stars didn’t even get out of the first round of the playoffs. That came after being the only one of 16 playoff teams to allow more goals than they scored during the regular season.
Joe Pavelski, Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz remained top scorers last year but got more help as Dallas made it to the Western Conference Final, and the scoring is now even deeper and more balanced. The Central Division champion Stars have a franchise-record and NHL-high eight 20-goal scorers, and a ninth player with more than 50 points.
“Depth is one of the keys,” the 39-year-old Pavelski said.
“You look at all of our numbers and we’re all almost identical, which is pretty cool,” said Matt Duchene, a veteran newcomer to the group this season. “It’s kind of the next-man-up mentality where you just kind of roll the lines over and one night, one line’s going to have a big night, and the next night someone else … and when we get two going, it’s really scary.”
The increase in balanced scoring coincides with Pete DeBoer’s two seasons as coach of the Stars since the departure of Rick Bowness, who took them to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020. After scoring 285 goals last season, the Stars now have 296 through Tuesday —the most since the franchise moved to Dallas before the 1993-94 season.
“The two times I’ve been to the finals and lost, it was because the depth of the other team was better than ours,” said DeBoer, who coached in the final with New Jersey in 2012 and San Jose in 2016. “There’s not many teams you can put our lineup up against up front where that’s going to be the case. So that’s a great option to have, and that’s really the strength of this team. We’ve got to make sure we utilize that.”
Robertson is the leading scorer with 80 points (29 goals, 51 assists) and still on the top line with Pavelski (67 points, 27 goals) and Hintz (65 points, 30 goals). Wyatt Johnston, the 20-year-old already finishing his second full season, has a team-best 32 goals to go with his 33 assists.
With every line contributing, the Stars have been able to manage ice time while prepping for what they hope is an even longer postseason run than last year, when they lost at home to eventual Cup champion Las Vegas in Game 6 of the West final. They finish this regular season at home Wednesday night.
“The nice thing is you’re not physically exhausted at all at this time of year because our minutes are lower than a lot of other teams,” said Duchene, who has 64 points (25 goals) while playing under 17 minutes a game, well below his career average. “If you’re able to still produce and contribute offensively as a forward group, that doesn’t really matter how much you’re playing. We’re fresh and ready to go.”
The 24-year-old Robertson at almost 18 1/2 minutes a game is getting the most ice time among Dallas forwards. Jamie Benn, the 34-year-old captain, still has 60 points (21 goals) in just over 15 minutes a game, his lowest average ice time since his rookie season 14 years ago and coming primarily on a third line with Johnston and 21-year-old Logan Stankoven.
Six-time All-Star Tyler Seguin (25 goals) and Mason Marchment (21 goals), usually with Duchene on the second line, are the other 20-goal scorers. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen has nine goals and 45 assists. Seguin is the only player on the roster with a Stanley Cup title, though that came during his rookie season with Boston in 2010-11.
“Everyone here has sacrificed. We talked about that sacrifice from day one at camp. To play on a contender, you’re going to have to check your ego at the door and and make some sacrifices personally,” DeBoer said. “We’ve had zero issue with that. Every guy’s lined up to take their turn to sacrifice for the greater good. And that’s why we’ve got the record we’ve got.”
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
Dallas, TX
At least 4 injured after vehicle drives into Dallas crowd, driver arrested
At least four people were injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd of people in Dallas on Thursday evening.
Dallas police responded to an “Assist Officer call with an Ambulance” at approximately 7 p.m. in the 300 block of West Davis Street.
Authorities learned that a vehicle drove into a crowd, injuring multiple people. At least four have been taken to a local hospital for treatment. Police said no one was in critical condition.
The driver of the vehicle was arrested at the scene, police said. Authorities are still working to determine if this driver could have been drunk or if this could have been a medical episode.
According to police, there is no indication that the crash was terrorism related.
The investigation is ongoing.
This story will be updated as we learn more.
Dallas, TX
FOX’s Kasper Schmeichel compares England to Dallas Cowboys, so who are their other sports analogs?
Scottish World Cup fans reportedly drink Boston dry
Dana Perino announces that Scottish World Cup fans have caused an unprecedented beer shortage in Boston, emptying bars and liquor stores. Jesse Watters playfully observes that Europeans visiting America seem to “love it,” despite negative media portrayals, while Greg Gutfeld adds a satirical comment about “liberal mayors” and local resource management, contrasting Boston’s beer woes with LA’s water and Chicago’s Bears.
FOX Soccer analyst Kasper Schmeichel came prepared for this year’s World Cup on American soil.
The former Danish goalkeeper may not be from around these parts, but that didn’t stop him from dropping an eerily accurate comparison between two overconfident but long-suffering sports programs.
With England and Croatia warming up inside AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, Schmeichel decided he would roast two fanbases with one stone, comparing the Cowboys to the Three Lions with a hilarious one-liner.
Funny, but also painfully true if you’re a supporter of either team.
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I made a comparison last week between the English national team and Notre Dame, but Schmeichel got me thinking, who are the sports analogs to England from the four major North American leagues (NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA)?
Today, I will be doing exactly that, including giving a slightly better NFL comp than the Cowboys (shocking, I know).
Without further ado, let’s piss off our neighbors from across the pond.
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NFL – Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears helmets are displayed before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nev., on Sept. 28, 2025. (Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)
While the Dallas Cowboys are a fine comparison for the English national soccer team, I think I can do one better.
Schmeichel mentioned that England “won it once and have never stopped talking about it,” and although the second part of that statement applies to both, the Cowboys are five-time Super Bowl champions, having won it most recently in January 1996, a good three decades after England.
If you really want a team that more accurately mirrors the hard luck of the English, it would have to be the Chicago Bears.
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They have one Super Bowl win to their name, which came 40 years ago, and really don’t have much else to show for it.
Also, having lived in the DFW area for the better part of a decade, I can confidently say Cowboys fans are a little too arrogant and cocky to be compared to the English.
Sure, England will say things like “it’s coming home,” but they are far more self-deprecating and aware of their faults, even nihilistic in some cases.
The Bears hang onto their history because they know things will inevitably go bad for them on the biggest stage.
Speaking of which…
NHL – Toronto Maple Leafs
Spencer Carbery, assistant coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, looks on from the bench during the third period against the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ont., on April 14, 2022. (Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Toronto Maple Leafs actually line up with England more closely than either fanbase would like to admit.
While the Leafs have a litany of Stanley Cups to their name, their most recent win was back in 1967, less than a full year after England won their first and only World Cup.
As far as expectations go, both constantly go into their respective tournaments with the weight of the world on their shoulders, only to come crashing down in the most horrific ways imaginable.
For the Leafs, it comes in the form of blowing big leads in the playoffs, while English fans and players alike can’t even hear the words “penalty kicks” without having a mental breakdown.
England and Toronto are both long-suffering cities, but their fans keep showing up expecting a different outcome.
Insanity? No, just sports fandom.
NBA – New York Knicks
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks celebrates a three-point basket with Karl-Anthony Towns during Game Two of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on June 5, 2026. (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
This one would have been an even better comparison if the New York Knicks hadn’t gone and won the whole damn thing this year, but these two sports teams are still eerily similar.
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Think of the Knicks’ 2026 NBA Championship run as a window into what it would look like if England captured a World Cup (on American soil, no less).
Before this year, the Knicks famously had not won a Larry O’Brien trophy in over 50 years, yet they were still considered one of the “blue bloods” of the NBA.
Decades of heartache didn’t change that; it only made their fans more insufferable, but their triumph earlier this month in the NBA Finals exorcised all those demons.
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A win in the World Cup Finals would probably do the same for England fans, as you could probably feel that sigh of relief from the other side of the Atlantic.
MLB – New York Mets
New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto reacts after scoring a run on an RBI double by infielder Bo Bichette against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on April 2, 2026. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
Hello again, New York.
The Big Apple certainly has its fair share of winners, but it also has plenty of franchises that are aching to make a trip back down the Canyon of Heroes, none more so than the Mets.
Year after year, the Mets are near the top of MLB in terms of spending, with little to show for their efforts.
WATCH THE WORLD CUP FINAL ON FOX ONE
They won a World Series back in 1986 and have been chasing that high ever since.
The common thread between England and the Mets (along with all the other teams on this list) is expectations relative to results, and it seems like the Mets are sort of a Schrödinger’s baseball franchise in that regard, expected to both compete for a World Series with their high-priced talent and flame out in spectacular fashion all the same.
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England always has flashy players heading into World Cup play, but the results haven’t been there, and they’ve often been sent home in brutal fashion, offering a great parallel to the Mets’ clockwork-like midsummer swoons and late-season meltdowns.
Dallas, TX
Dallas Police Seize Glock Switch in Deep Ellum
Guerrocastillo was taken into custody without incident and charged with Prohibited Weapon, a third-degree felony; Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon, a class A misdemeanor; Possession of Marijuana under two ounces, a class B misdemeanor; and Public Intoxication, a class C misdemeanor.
“Foot patrols are a foundational part of policing, and our Deep Ellum Task Force officers are making great arrests and providing increased security by walking a beat,” said Deputy Chief Devon Palk, who is commander of the Central Patrol Group. “Having our officers on foot, on horseback, and in our new Polaris utility vehicle puts officers exactly where we need them during peak hours in the area.”
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