NHL
Who do the Dallas Stars play next? Who will they play in the NHL conference finals?
After a series-clinching victory over the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday, the Dallas Stars are back in the conference finals.
The Dallas Stars have reached the NHL conference finals for the third time in the last five seasons, as the Texans chase the second Stanley Cup triumph in franchise history.
On Friday, Dallas secured a 4-2 series victory over the Colorado Avalanche in the teams’ Western Conference second-round clash, as Matt Duchene’s goal sealed a 2-1 double-overtime win in Game 6 at Ball Arena.
Dallas boss lauds players’ “fantastic character”
The victory was the Stars’ third road win of the best-of-seven series - a feat that the team’s head coach, Peter DeBoer, hailed post-match.
“Just fantastic character to be able to do that against that team in this building,” the 55-year-old said, in quotes published by the NHL. “What a gauntlet. Colorado was a more rested team after their first round. I just couldn’t be prouder of our group. I thought everybody dug deep, and our depth did carry us through.”
Duchene said his memories of his post-goal celebrations are a complete blur. “I don’t even know what [I did],” he told reporters. “I know I ended up on my knees like last time I got one in overtime, but I have no idea, to be honest with you. It’s just elation, right?”
Which team is up next for the Stars?
The Stars, whose sole Stanley Cup win came back in 1998/99, are still to learn the identity of their Western Conference finals opponents.
As they bid to lift the conference championship for the fourth occasion, Dallas will face either the Vancouver Canucks or the Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks currently lead the teams’ second-round series 3-2, after winning Game 5 3-2 on Thursday.
Vancouver host Edmonton in Game 6 at Rogers Arena today, Saturday 18 May, at 8pm ET/5pm PT.
The winner of the Western Conference finals will advance to a Stanley Cup finals match-up with either the New York Rangers or the Florida Panthers. The Rangers and the Panthers kick off their Eastern Conference finals series on Wednesday 22 May.
See also:
When did Stars last win Western Conference?
The Stars are bidding to improve on their performance in the 2022/23 Stanley Cup playoffs, having suffered a 4-2 series defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights in last year’s conference finals.
Dallas won their most recent conference championship when they beat the Golden Knights 4-1 to be crowned kings of the West in 2020. However, they went on to lose that season’s Stanley Cup finals, going down 4-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.