Editor's note: This story was updated on May 6, 2024, after the Stars defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in the first round.
There's never been a better time to jump on the Stars bandwagon.
The Stars defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in a grueling seven-game series in the first round, sending the defending Stanley Cup champions packing for the summer. As the top team in the Western Conference, the Stars avoided an upset and advanced to a second-round matchup with Central Division rival Colorado.
Dallas has a tough road to the Stanley Cup Finals by winning the highly competitive Western Conference berth, but the Stars won their first division and conference championship in eight years, scoring 113 points in the regular season and trailing the rest. It was the second-best record in franchise history. They are second only to the 1998-99 Stanley Cup champions (114) and are aiming for postseason success.
Round two begins Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. Central Time at American Airlines Center. If you haven't been following the Stars this season, here's what you need to know about one of the NHL's top teams.
What is the Stars' postseason history?
The Stars have reached the Stanley Cup Final three times in franchise history, winning once in the 1998-99 season. Dallas advanced to the fourth round the year after winning the Cup and lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2019-20 NHL bubble.
The Stars had their best season since last year's 2019-20 season, reaching the Western Conference Finals but ultimately losing 4-2 to the eventual champion Vegas Golden Knights.
In all three trips to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Stars defeated the Colorado Avalanche on the road in seven-game series. The Stars hope to continue that trend this season.
How did the stars get here?
Dallas competed in the NHL's heaviest division this year. The Central Division will feature the Stars, Colorado Avalanche, and Winnipeg Jets, who are all Stanley Cup contenders who have made it to the playoffs, as well as the Nashville Predators, who earned a wild card spot.
After spending most of the season in second or third place in the division standings, the Stars won a franchise-record eight straight games in late March and early April, taking over first place in the division and becoming the first Western League team to do so. Ta. Conference teams qualify for the playoffs.
They avoided a difficult first-round matchup against Winnipeg or Colorado and won their first district title in eight years. However, in the NHL's playoff berth, the division rivals are set to meet in the second round, meaning Dallas has already faced Colorado.
Who are the top players you should know about?
Jamie Benn, F
Ben is the longest-tenured player on the Stars roster, completing his 15th season in Dallas. He has also served as team captain since the 2013 offseason.
On February 6, Ben became the second player in Dallas Stars/Minnesota North Stars history to play in 1,000 NHL games, joining Stars legend Mike Modano, whose statue was erected outside American Airlines Center last month. Joined the.
Ben was known as an elite scorer at the peak of his career, winning the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top scorer (87 points) in the 2014-15 season, but he was also known as a physical player and was a member of Dallas' He is also known as an outstanding leader of emerging teams. Performer.
This season, he has played alongside two of the team's youngest players, Wyatt Johnston (20) and Logan Stankoven (21). In addition to coaching two young players, the 34-year-old had a career-long six-game point streak in March and totaled 21 goals and 39 assists for 60 points in the regular season.
Jason Robertson, F
Robertson was Dallas' leading scorer for the second straight season. The 24-year-old California native plays on Dallas' top line alongside Lupe Hintz and Joe Pavelski, averaging more than one point per game during his career.
This season, Robertson averaged 80 points (29 goals, 51 assists) in 18 minutes, 19 seconds of ice time. He had five points (three goals, two assists), second most on the team, in the first round against Las Vegas.
Robertson is an elite goal scorer, setting the Dallas Stars' season scoring record with 109 points last year. Although he hasn't quite hit that pace this year, he's still an integral part of the Stars' aggressive offense and power play. So far, he has nine power play goals in the regular season and two power play goals in the playoffs.
Wyatt Johnston, F
The Stars' youngest player is also the leader in goals this season. Johnston, 20, scored a team-high 32 goals in his second season and was one of Dallas' biggest surprises this year. Johnston led the team with four goals, including the game-winning goal in overtime of Game 3, and his success carried into the postseason.
Johnston had a strong rookie season last year, scoring 24 goals and 17 assists for 41 points. He also scored the series-clinching hit in Game 7 of the second round against the Seattle Kraken.
In addition to being a reliable goalscorer, Johnston has strong defensive instincts and thrives as a penalty-killing forward for the Stars. He also plays on Dallas' second power play unit, taking on additional responsibilities in his second season.
He became the second player in Dallas Stars/Minnesota North Stars franchise history to score 30 goals in a season before his 21st birthday. On March 5 against the San Jose Sharks, he became the youngest player in franchise history to score five points in a game.
Miro Heiskanen, D
The Stars have elite players on the defensive front who will be key to their postseason run. Heiskanen, 24, is one of the league's top defensemen and a blueliner on the Stars' top duo.
Last season, the Finnish defenseman set a franchise record for most points by a defenseman with 73 points. This season, he once again led the Dallas defense, scoring 54 points, the second most of his career. He also has five points so far in the playoffs, the most points by a Dallas blueliner.
Heiskanen missed 10 games with a lower-body injury caused by a collision with goaltender Scott Wedgewood on January 4 against Colorado. After his return, he scored half of the season's total points (27 points).
Heiskanen plays on Dallas' first power play unit and is a key contributor on both ends of the ice.
Jake Ettinger, G
The Stars have one of the league's rising goaltenders on their roster this season, and he's peaking at the right time.
Jake Oettinger, 25, will represent Dallas in the 2024 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto this year and has been playing like an All-Star for the past two months.
Oettinger underwent offseason surgery and had the toughest season of his career, missing nearly a month in December and January with a groin injury.
Still, in the regular season, he posted a record of 35 wins, 14 losses, and 4 draws, an average of 2.72 points, and a save percentage of .905. He also had three shutouts, two of which came in the last month before the playoffs.
Oettinger was one of Dallas' best players in the first-round series against Las Vegas, posting a .925 save percentage and a 1.95 goals-against average. That number ranked second among goalies who started four or more games in the first round.
Who is coaching?
Pete DeBoer is in his second year as the Stars' head coach and 16th year as an NHL head coach.
DeBoer replaced Rick Bowness in Dallas after he was released by the Vegas Golden Knights after the 2021-22 season. He previously coached in San Jose, New Jersey and Florida.
DeBoer has had plenty of postseason success during his NHL career, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals with both New Jersey (2011-12) and San Jose (2015-16). He reached the conference finals four other times.
His playoff success was fueled by an impressive 8-0 record in Game 7s in his career.
However, DeBoer has never won a cup game.
He made an immediate impact in his first two seasons in Dallas, helping lead the Stars to the Western Conference Finals last year and then one of the top teams in this year's regular season.
What is the Stars' greatest strength?
The Stars may be the deepest team in the NHL this season, especially when it comes to forwards. Dallas set franchise records with eight different players scoring 20 or more goals and two different players scoring 30 or more goals. The Stars are the only team in the league this year to have eight players with 20 points.
As a result, the Stars ranked third in the NHL in goals per game during the regular season with 3.59.
Stars roll four lines and can get meaningful contributions from all lines. If fully healthy, Dallas could have as many as five viable lines if they bring back AHL MVP Mavrik Bourque this postseason.
Injuries are inevitable and have already happened this postseason, but Dallas' depth is becoming a key weapon that other teams have no answer for.
What is the Stars' biggest weakness?
For most of the season, Dallas had the most room for improvement defensively. That was a weakness in last year's playoffs, and the team made no moves over the summer to address it.
However, the Stars acquired defenseman Chris Tanev from the Calgary Flames before the trade deadline, and he immediately made a difference for the Stars on defense. After the trade deadline, Dallas ranked second in the NHL in points allowed per game (2.11 points per game), despite previously ranking 14th (3.02 points per game).
Adding Tanev gives Dallas a solid top-four defenseman, but the third pairing is unreliable. DeBoer used a combination of Jani Hakanpaa, Ryan Suter and Nils Lundqvist in those spots. Unlike their forward group, the Stars don't have a lot of depth on defense and can't afford injuries. Even in the first round against Las Vegas, DeBoer gave Lundqvist just 4 minutes and 32 seconds of ice time per game.
The Stars also set a franchise record with 26 come-from-behind wins this year, after struggling initially for most of the season. This challenge plagued them early in the series against Las Vegas, but it's one they'll have to avoid against tougher competition late in the playoffs.
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