The Dallas Stars opened the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs with a victory, defeating the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 in Game 1 Wednesday night. The win gives the Stars an early advantage in the best-of-seven Second Round series.
The Dallas Stars are making their third consecutive appearance in the second round of the postseason. The team advanced by winning a hard-fought Game 7 against Colorado in the first round.
Stars forward Wyatt Johnston contributed to the win, continuing his strong playoff performance. Johnston scored the game-winning goal late in the third period of the deciding Game 7 against the Avalanche. He has now tallied seven points in seven games this postseason.
Winnipeg forward Kyle Connor leads his team in scoring with 12 points. He is tied with Mikko Rantanen for the league lead in points through the first round.
The series features a matchup of two prominent goaltenders, Dallas' Jake Oettinger and Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck is a leading candidate for the Vezina Trophy. Oettinger holds a 27-25 playoff record in his career, while Hellebuyck is 22-30 in postseason play.
Stars coach Pete DeBoer noted the challenge of facing Hellebuyck. "Hellebuyck is kind of the bar in the league for goalies," DeBoer said. "He’s a Vezina candidate every year. And Jake is a competitive guy. I think he wants that opportunity to play against a guy who is the best."
The Stars Hockey team has shown depth, navigating the first round without defenseman Miro Heiskanen and forward Jason Robertson, who are close to returning. Oettinger said the team performs well even without their presence.
While playoff hockey draws passionate fans, the TV ratings for the league often trail other major sports in the United States, a topic of ongoing discussion in the opinion sphere. Some observers attribute this to factors like the cost of participation, difficulty promoting star players, and the speed of the game making plays hard to follow in real time.
Despite these challenges, the league maintains a stable position with local and national television contracts and dedicated fan bases. The ongoing 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs continue with series like the Stars versus Jets garnering attention.
Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck commented on the team's outlook heading into the second round. "We’re in some new territory that we haven’t been in in a little while," Hellebuyck said. "It's a restart for me."
