If you want to be part of the fun for however long this Stars’ playoff run lasts, here’s what to know and how we got here.
The NHL Final Four (Again).
The Stars are no strangers to the Western Conference Finals, marking their third consecutive trip and fourth in the last six years. In 2023, they lost in six games to the Las Vegas Golden Knights, followed by a similar outcome in 2024, falling to the Edmonton Oilers in six games.This Stars team is the best the franchise has had in the past few seasons. Thirteen of the 18 skaters who played in Game 6 against Winnipeg, along with goalie Jake Oettinger, returned from last year's squad. What strengthens this year's roster is the addition of superstar forward Mikko Rantanen and 13-year veteran Mikael Granlund.
For Dallas to avoid the heartbreak experienced in the last two seasons and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, they must contend with Edmonton, led by superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. McDavid is a seven-time all-star, has led the league in scoring five times and has won the Hart Memorial Trophy (Most Valuable Player Award) three times. Draisaitl led the league in scoring once, has a Hart Trophy of his own, and was the NHL's leading goalscorer this season, with 52.
The Stars' defense must keep these two at bay, and the offense needs to perform better than in their last two WCF appearances, during which they only scored four or more goals twice over 12 games. Finally, they must avoid overtime: they are 1-3 in overtime games in the past two Western Conference Finals.
The Competition Keeps Getting Tougher
Just to get to this point, Dallas had to beat two of the league's best teams. After Dallas’s Game 6 overtime win over Winnipeg, head coach Pete DeBoer said during his postgame press conference, “It’s hard to believe we’re halfway, right? It sure feels like we’ve been through a lot.” To reach their third straight Western Conference Final, Dallas first had to go through the Colorado Avalanche, who were ranked 6th by NHL.com in the final power rankings of the regular season, and then Winnipeg in the second round, who won the President’s Trophy for the league's best record in the regular season.
Dallas played a grueling seven-game series against Colorado without star defenseman Miro Heiskanen and leading goal scorer Jason Robertson, neither of whom returned until Round 2. Still, overtime victories in games two and three, along with third-period heroics from Mikko Rantanen in Game 7, propelled the Stars forward.
THOMAS ******* HARLEY!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/L4kOLoHhrI
— X - Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) May 18, 2025
Rantanen and the “Finnish Mafia”
After trading for Granlund and Rantanen at the 2025 trade deadline, the Stars now have a full force of Finns, adding the pair to the trio of Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell.Rantanen leads the NHL playoffs in goals (9) and points (19) through the first two rounds. He has two hat tricks, five games with three or more points (goals plus assists), and scored or assisted on 13 consecutive Stars goals, which set an NHL playoff record.
As for the other Finnish talents, Hintz and Granlund rank second and third on the team in goals during the playoffs, and both are in the top five for points. Granlund even secured a hat trick of his own in Game 4. While Heiskanen and Lindell haven’t contributed to the score sheet as much, both have played significant roles on defense, each logging over 21 minutes of ice time in the Game 6 victory over the Jets, with anything over 20 being highly impressive.
Stars Fans Rally to Support Opposing Player
Tragedy struck before game six for Winnipeg, as Jets star forward Mark Scheifele’s father, Brad Scheifele, died Friday, May 16. Despite the loss, Scheifele played in the game, scoring the Jets' first and only goal.To show support to the Scheifele family and Jets organization, Dallas Stars fans started a “$55 for 55” campaign, donating $55 to the True North Youth Foundation and/or KidSport Canada, both of which are charities that Scheifele supports.
The NHL Western Conference Finals between the Dallas Stars and the Edmonton Oilers begin tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPN.Stars fans have been donating "$55 for 55" to charities Mark Scheifele supports after the news that Mark's father died before Game 6 in Dallas.
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 17, 2025
Hockey is a family ❤️ pic.twitter.com/jP8yIoSFDl
