DALLAS — The Dallas Stars are gearing up for a gritty second-round showdown in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with their opponent hinging on the outcome of a nail-biter Game 7 between the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues. The Stars punched their ticket to the next round after a hard-fought 4-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 7 on May 3, a win that left the American Airlines Center roaring and the team’s confidence sky-high.
The Jets and Blues, locked in a tense first-round series, will settle their fate on May 4 in Winnipeg. The series has been a slugfest, with the Jets taking the first two games before the Blues stormed back, knotting things up at 3-3. Game 7 is slated for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop, broadcast across Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports, TBS, MAX, and FanDuel Sports Network Midwest. Whoever emerges victorious will face Dallas in a best-of-7 series that promises to test both teams’ mettle.
For the Stars, the second round is a chance to build on their momentum. They went 3-0-0 against the Blues during the regular season, outscoring them 10-4, with Roope Hintz racking up six points and Wyatt Johnston notching a hat trick in a 6-3 rout on March 2. Against the Jets, Dallas split the season series, with Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor leading his team with four goals and an assist in four games. The Stars have never faced the Jets in the postseason, but they’ve tangled with the Blues five times, with St. Louis winning the last three series, including a seven-game thriller in 2019.
If the Blues advance, Dallas will enjoy home-ice advantage, starting the series at American Airlines Center. A Jets win flips the script, sending the Stars to Winnipeg for Game 1. The second round kicks off May 5, with the full schedule to be confirmed once the Jets-Blues series wraps.
The Stars’ path to this point wasn’t easy. Their series against Colorado went the distance, with Dallas overcoming a 2-0 third-period deficit in Game 7, powered by Mikko Rantanen’s hat trick against his former team. The Avalanche, who traded Rantanen to Dallas via Carolina earlier this season, fell short despite a valiant effort.
As the Stars await their opponent, the NHL announced that the second round will begin with Florida visiting Toronto on May 5 at 8 p.m. ET, followed by Carolina at Washington on May 6 at 7 p.m. ET. The league’s playoff schedule remains fluid, with dates and times for the Stars’ series to be locked in after Sunday’s Game 7.
Dallas finished the regular season 50-26-6, good for second in the Central Division. The Jets, Presidents’ Trophy winners with a 56-22-4 record, claimed the top seed in the Western Conference. The Blues, at 44-30-8, snagged the second wild card spot after a 12-game winning streak late in the season.