Dallas Stars players take the ice for an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks at the American Airlines Center on Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Dallas.
Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer
The Dallas Stars are days away from beginning their 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff campaign.
Whether you’ve been following the Stars all season or are just hopping on the bandwagon for the playoffs, here is what you need to know.
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Dallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson (21) celebrates with center Roope Hintz (24) and right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) after scoring the game-winning goal with one minute left in the third period of a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues in an NHL hockey game at the American Airlines Center on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Dallas.
Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer
Dallas Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan delivers instruction to his players during the second period against the Edmonton Oilers at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, March 12, 2026.
Tom Fox/Staff Photographer
What’s at stake?
The Stars are back in the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, seeking the franchise’s second Stanley Cup title and first since 1999.
The Stars have been regulars in the Western Conference finals lately, reaching the third round for three consecutive years, but losing to the Edmonton Oilers in that round each of the last two seasons. The Stars haven’t advanced to the Stanley Cup Final since the NHL bubble in 2020.
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At this point, a return to the conference finals is still over a month away, and Dallas has a grueling road to get there. The Stars, who have been the second-best team in the Western Conference all season, have to face the Minnesota Wild in the first round, the third-best team in the conference.
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The NHL’s playoff format is division-focused, meaning even though the Central Division has the Western Conference’s top three teams, only one will advance out of the second round.
The Stars and Wild are facing for the third time ever in a playoff series, with Dallas winning the last two meetings in 2016 and 2023 in six games.
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Players to know
Winnipeg Jets’ Adam Lowry (17) and Dallas Stars’ Jamie Benn (14) fight in the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Tony Gutierrez/AP
Jamie Benn: The Stars captain is in his 17th season in the NHL, spending his entire career in Dallas. With a possible retirement decision looming, the 36-year-old is still chasing his first Stanley Cup title. After missing the first 19 games of the season with a collapsed lung, he’s bounced back to have one of his most productive years as of late, recording 35 points (15 goals and 20 assists) in 56 games.
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Wyatt Johnston: The youngest player on the roster has been unstoppable on Dallas’ power play this year. He set a franchise record for most power play goals in a season with 26, scoring more than half of his team-high 43 goals on the man-advantage. He also leads the NHL in that category by a seven-goal margin.
Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) plays against the Nashville Predators during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Mark Humphrey/AP
Mikko Rantanen: Rantanen inked the largest contract in Stars history ahead of the trade deadline last year in a blockbuster deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. He was the hero for Dallas in its first two rounds of the postseason, scoring a memorable hat trick in the third period of Game 7 of the first round against his former team, the Colorado Avalanche. Rantanen led the Stars in points before being sidelined for over a month with an injury he suffered while competing for Team Finland in the Olympics.
Jason Robertson: Dallas’ sharpshooter is having his second-most productive season of his career with 91 points (41 goals and 50 assists) in 78 games. After being snubbed from Team USA in the Olympics and in a contract year, Robertson has had a lot to play for and risen to the occasion. But can he produce at the same level in the postseason? Historically, he’s dropped off slightly, but Dallas needs him to keep scoring at a high clip.
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Miro Heiskanen: Heiskanen is widely regarded as one of the top defensemen in the NHL. Averaging over 25 minutes a night, he is arguably the most consistent player on the Stars’ roster as a reliable defenseman, who also has offensive prowess. The Finnish blue liner has 63 points (nine goals and 54 assists) in 76 games this season and plays on both power play and the penalty kill.
Jake Oettinger: The Stars have a playoff veteran in Jake Oettinger, who has made 63 postseason starts, posting a 2.56 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. Oettinger ranks third in the NHL in wins this season with 32.
Bench boss
Dallas Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan talks with Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin (91) as Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (24) watches the game during the second period of an NHL hockey game at American Airlines Center, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Dallas.
Chitose Suzuki/Staff Photographer
Dallas has a new head coach behind its bench in Glen Gulutzan. The Stars parted ways with Pete DeBoer last summer after three seasons and brought in Gulutzan, who most recently served as an assistant coach for Edmonton for seven seasons and also previously led the Stars from 2011-13.
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He returned as a far more experienced coach, known for his level-headed nature, power play prowess and focus on ramping up the intensity throughout the season — a need the Stars had before he arrived.
Gulutzan has never won a playoff series as a head coach. In fact, he’s never won a playoff game. His 2016-17 Calgary team got swept by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round the only year he’s reached the postseason.
He did reach two Stanley Cup Finals as an assistant in Edmonton and is seeking another deep run, this time as a head coach.
Why Dallas could win it all
The Stars are battle-tested when it comes to postseason hockey.
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After three consecutive runs to the Western Conference finals, the Stars know what it takes to get there. They’ve been two or three wins away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final in recent seasons and now have a new coach who knows what it takes to advance even further.
The Stars have high-end scoring talent and elite defensemen, a reliable goaltender and more depth than they’ve had. Plus, that depth offers a grittier, more physical style of play than the Stars demonstrated in past playoff runs.
Statistically, the Stars have the second-best power play in the NHL (28.7%) and have been far better defensively than in previous seasons, allowing just 2.69 goals per game (2nd in NHL).
Injuries have ravaged the Stars this season, but Dallas expects to be mostly healthy at the start of the playoffs. It hasn’t even reached its full potential as a team yet.
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What could go wrong?
The biggest obstacle facing the Stars is the road ahead just to get back to the Stanley Cup Final.
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The Central Division is loaded and is home to the top three teams in the West. If Dallas, the No. 2 team, can beat Minnesota, the No. 3 team, it will likely earn a date with the top overall team in the league — Colorado.
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Just to escape the first two rounds, the Stars will have to be near flawless. Who knows how worn down they’ll be by then, even if they get there?
Offense also tends to dry up in the playoffs. Dallas needs at least one of Rantanen, Johnston or Robertson to produce as consistently as they did in the regular season when the postseason begins.