DALLAS, TEXAS — The Dallas Stars are headed back to the Western Conference Final for the third year in a row, continuing a remarkable run of consistency and postseason success. This marks the 14th time the franchise has reached the NHL’s final four, the second-most among non-Original Six clubs, trailing only the Philadelphia Flyers.
Since relocating to Dallas in 1993, the Stars have made eight appearances at this stage—tied with Tampa Bay and Detroit for the most during that span. It’s also just the second time in franchise history they’ve reached three straight conference finals, mirroring their late-90s stretch from 1998 to 2000, which culminated in the team’s lone Stanley Cup win in 1999.
Head coach Pete DeBoer continues to etch his name among the league’s all-time greats. This marks his eighth trip to the final four as a head coach—third-most in the NHL’s expansion era—trailing only legends Scotty Bowman and Al Arbour. With the win over Winnipeg, DeBoer also picked up his 19th career playoff series victory, placing him sixth in league history.
The Stars are also proving nearly unbeatable at home, extending their postseason home winning streak to six games—their longest since the spring of 2000.
One of the breakout stars of this playoff run has been defenseman Thomas Harley. He delivered the decisive blow in overtime to close out the Jets, becoming just the third defenseman in franchise history to score a series-clinching goal and only the second to do it in overtime. At 23 years and 271 days old, Harley is the third-youngest defenseman in NHL history to net an overtime series-winner.
Harley added two more points in the victory, bringing his postseason total to 11—second among all defensemen in these playoffs. His emergence, combined with the Stars’ veteran core and DeBoer’s postseason pedigree, has Dallas once again knocking on the door of the Stanley Cup Final.
