Dallas, TX
With Dallas Stars in prime playoff spot, veering off concerning course could go a long way
So perhaps I was mistaken about life after Mikko. Seemed like the Stars had shown plenty of positive signs of being able to produce on their own, once he stopped delivering nightly hat tricks or four-point games. Instead, the entire squad was blanked in Winnipeg Friday night, making this a very compelling 1-1 series that continues with a 3:30 puck drop on Sunday at the AAC.
Dallas remains in prime position to keep advancing in this marathon affair called the Stanley Cup playoffs. Just by gaining a split in Winnipeg, the Stars secured the slight edge that is home-ice advantage, although this spring home teams are winning at a better than 2-1 rate — highly unusual for the NHL. Dallas is contributing with a 3-1 record at the AAC. And how things stand makes all the difference in the world when two teams of equal stature are going at it.
But the Stars also lost by four goals Friday night, and even if you want to excuse the empty-net strike from about 185 feet by Nikolaj Ehlers, this was still the fourth time Dallas has lost by at least three goals in the playoffs.
Cause for concern?
“You know what, some of them, the Colorado ones, I did because I thought we got overwhelmed,’’ Stars coach Pete DeBoer said Saturday after the team landed at Love Field. “I didn’t think that was the case last night. When you dive into the analytics and stuff, I think that was the story, too. Couple of those Colorado games were concerning, but I didn’t think last night’s was in that category.’’
Still, with one notable exception (a turning point Game 5 against Colorado), the Stars either win a close game or get drowned in a blowout. No other club has lost four times by three goals. I suppose the good news is that the only other three-time loser by three goals is Winnipeg. The Jets didn’t come close to winning a game in St. Louis, and if goaltender Connor Hellebuyck can be counted upon to resort to those bad performances (he was pulled in each game), Dallas can set its sights on, most likely, the Edmonton Oilers in the next round.
That all seems a little too easy, not to mention a dangerous assumption to make. The Stars forced Hellebuyck to provide at least a few big stops in the second period of Friday’s shutout, and now who’s to say that the game’s best goaltender hasn’t regained his singular focus? For me, Friday’s 4-0 Jets win looked a heck of a lot like Winnipeg’s 4-0 victory at the AAC in the final week when the visitors were nailing down the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stars were encased in a weird late-season slump.
Dallas still looks like that team a little too much, and Winnipeg, which got defenseman Josh Morrissey back into its lineup for Game 2, making the team truly healthy for the first time in the playoffs, looked a lot like the regular season Jets.
“He’s their Miro Heiskanen, you know,’’ DeBoer said. “So that changed things. It slots people for them. It’s a big boost of confidence for their whole group.’’
The Stars could use a similar injection but it won’t come Sunday afternoon. DeBoer said Heiskanen — injured against Vegas on Jan. 28 — won’t play in Game 3 and will return to day-to-day status for Tuesday’s Game 4.
“You know, when he comes back it’s going to be, obviously, a good day, but even then he’s been out for three and a half months. We’re going to have to temper our expectations on what he’s going to bring after that long of an absence,’’ DeBoer said.
For now, it’s back to scratching and clawing and hoping for emergency relief from Rantanen. What do all these blowouts really mean? Not much, maybe, in the sense that Florida won the Stanley Cup last June and lost four games by three or more goals. Of course, the Panthers spread that over two months with two of the losses coming to the Oilers in the Finals after they had grabbed a 3-0 lead. That’s different from losing all of one’s games by three goals.
If you’re looking to local Stanley Cup history, the Stars in 1999 lost seven games in their entire run to the Cup in Buffalo. They lost six games by one goal (four of those in overtime). Their only two-goal loss was a 7-5 defeat against Colorado in Game 5.
Not every Cup winner has to follow the same path. We’re just talking about surviving the second round, anyway. A bounce of the puck here or there, a first postseason goal from Matt Duchene or maybe a second from Mikael Granlund or Jamie Benn could go a long way towards moving the Stars beyond a team quietly waiting for another Mikko miracle.
X/Twitter: @TimCowlishaw
Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Dallas, TX
Public frustration grows as Dallas leaders debate billion‑dollar City Hall fix or relocation
Cardi B, one of hip-hop’s most outsize personalities — and one of its most reliable hitmakers — is coming to Dallas.
The New York City-born rapper broke through in 2017 with the hit single “Bodak Yellow,” launching a chart-topping run that soon included “I Like It” and the blockbuster hit “WAP.” Her Grammy-winning debut album, Invasion of Privacy, cemented her as a defining voice in contemporary rap, blending brash humor, confessional storytelling and club-ready production.
The 33-year-old’s success helped boost the profile of women in a genre long dominated by men, encouraging record labels to sign more female rappers. She has frequently teamed up with rising female artists, including GloRilla, FendiDa Rappa and “WAP” collaborator Megan Thee Stallion.
Cardi’s stop at American Airlines Center is part of the arena run supporting her second studio album, 2025’s Am I the Drama? Recent shows in the “Little Miss Drama Tour” have leaned into spectacle, with elaborate staging, surprise guest appearances and a set list that spans her entire career.
Fans can expect a high-energy performance built around booming trap beats, pop hooks and Cardi’s signature unfiltered banter — the same mix that has helped her sell out dates across the tour and turn concerts into party-like events.
DETAILS: March 7 at 7:30 p.m. at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Tickets start at $334.10, but some verified resale tickets are cheaper. ticketmaster.com.
Pop legend Diana Ross performs March 7 at the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma.
Sarah Hepola
OTHER CONCERTS
Bluesy psychedelic rock band All Them Witches performs March 7 at House of Blues Dallas.
Travis Pinson
ALL THEM WITCHES March 7 at 8 p.m. at House of Blues Dallas. ticketmaster.com.
DIANA ROSS March 7 at 8 p.m. at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. winstar.com.
RICH BRIAN March 7 at 8 p.m. at The Bomb Factory in Deep Ellum. axs.com.
TRACE ADKINS March 7 at 10 p.m. at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth. billybobstexas.com.
AFROJACK March 8 at 3 p.m. at It’ll Do Club in Deep Ellum. eventbrite.com.
LITHE March 8 at 8 p.m. at House of Blues Dallas. ticketmaster.com.
CONAN GRAY March 10 at 8 p.m. at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. ticketmaster.com.
MATISYAHU March 10 at 8 p.m. at the Granada Theater in Dallas. prekindle.com.
OUR LADY PEACE, WITH THE VERVE PIPE March 12 at 8 p.m. at Tannahill’s Tavern and Music Hall in Fort Worth. ticketmaster.com.
PAUL WALL March 12 at 9 p.m. and March 13 at 10 p.m. at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth. billybobstexas.com.
The fiercest legislative primary fights Tuesday in North Texas were inside the GOP.
In Dallas County, two moderate GOP incumbent representatives faced challengers after being censured by their own county party.
In Collin County, several Republican state House members were fending off rivals running to their right.
The Dallas Morning News will provide live election results this evening when the polls close at 7 p.m. Results will be updated throughout the evening for statewide races and Dallas, Collin, Denton, Ellis, Kaufman, Rockwall and Tarrant counties.
Dallas County, House District 108
Republican Morgan Meyer, first elected in 2014, was challenged by attorney Sanjay Narayan in a district that includes the Park Cities, Oak Lawn and Preston Hollow.
Narayan criticized Meyer for backing renewable energy expansion and for being censured by the Dallas GOP last year.
Meyer was among House Republicans targeted after disputes over the House speaker vote and chamber rules. He and other lawmakers called the censure effort unconstitutional.
In the campaign, Meyer focused on property tax relief and emergency preparedness after the Camp Mystic tragedy.
Small business owner Allison Mitchell is unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Dallas County, House District 112
Republican Angie Chen Button, who has represented the district covering parts of Dallas, Richardson and Garland since 2009, drew three primary opponents.
Button has highlighted her support for small businesses and public schools and her bipartisan record. A senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, she would play a key role in the state’s property tax debate if reelected.
Dallas-area delegation in the Texas House of Representatives on Sunday, May 30, 2021, showing State Rep. Angie Chen Button, R-Garland, in the chamber.
Bob Daemmrich / Bob Daemmrich/CapitolPressPhoto
Opponents Chad Carnahan and Tina Price attacked Button for being censured by the Dallas GOP last year, a move she and other lawmakers have criticized as an internal party power struggle.
Carnahan, a businessman, said he wants to lower property taxes and prevent Shariah in Texas.
Price said she would improve public schools and spur the re-use of old buildings. Also in the GOP race: Perry E. Barker Sr.
Democrat Zach Herbert was unopposed.
Collin County, House District 61
Two Republicans are seeking to represent the district that covers most of McKinney and parts of Frisco and Celina.
Incumbent Keresa Richardson, who was elected in 2024, and former state Rep. Frederick Frazier both support eliminating property taxes.
Richardson, an entrepreneur, said she would expand the Texas voucher-like program for education.
Frazier, a former police officer and McKinney City Council member, was more cautious about expanding the program.
Frederick Frazier speaks as Rep. Keresa Richardson looks on during a candidate forum for Republicans in Collin County ahead of the March primary election at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
Anja Schlein / Special Contributor
Two political newcomers, Jackie Bescherer and Brittany Black, are running in the Democratic primary. Both oppose Texas’ voucher program and vow to increase public education funding.
Collin County, House District 67
Republican Rep. Jeff Leach, first elected in 2012, faces Matt Thorsen in a district that includes parts of Plano, Allen, McKinney and Melissa.
Leach has highlighted his conservative record, including legislation barring Shariah in Texas courts. He also served as a House impeachment manager during Attorney General Ken Paxton’s 2023 trial, a role he has defended amid backlash from activists.
Thorsen, a small business owner and former youth pastor, helped lead the effort to censure Leach last year. He has criticized Leach’s impeachment role and accused him of siding with Democrats on House rules.
Both support eliminating property taxes, expanding education savings accounts and oppose the development formerly known as EPIC City. Two Democrats are also running, though the district has leaned Republican.
Collin County, House District 70
Three Republicans are competing for the nomination to run against incumbent Democrat Mihaela Plesa, who is running unopposed in her party’s primary.
Democrat Mihaela Plesa responds to questions during a District 70 Candidate Forum hosted by Raise Your Hand Texas at Plano ISD Academy High School in Plano on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022.
Liesbeth Powers / Staff Photographer
George Flint, a former district judge and Collin County Republican Party Chair, emphasized eliminating property taxes and securing the border in his campaign.
Jack Ryan Gallagher, an attorney, said he would attract companies to North Texas, improve public schools and partner with local law enforcement if elected.
Michael Hewitt, an attorney, said he would gradually lower property taxes and work to keep Texas a business-friendly state.
The district includes parts of Plano, Richardson and Far North Dallas.
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