Stars Aim for Western Final as Jets Fight for Survival

DALLAS — The Dallas Stars will face the Winnipeg Jets in Game 6 of the Western Conference Second Round on Saturday at American Airlines Center. The game will start at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN+

Dallas leads the best-of-seven series 3-2 after their previous game, where the Stars lost 4-0 on the road in Winnipeg on Thursday. They have been strong at home this postseason, winning five of six games, including all three games in this series. A win on Saturday would send the Stars to the Western Conference Final for the third consecutive year, where they would meet the Edmonton Oilers.

“Our home crowd’s a big advantage for us,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “It has been my entire time here. You know we have to approach this like a Game 7, even though we have the luxury of it not being a Game 7.”

The Jets, on the other hand, are looking to avoid elimination. They are 0-5 in road playoff games this season and have lost nine consecutive road playoff games dating back to 2023. However, Winnipeg has been strong at home with a 6-1 record this postseason.

“Every streak ends, whether it’s a good one or a bad one, and we’re planning on doing that [Saturday],” Jets coach Scott Arniel said. “We have to make sure that what comes on the ice in Dallas is the best product we can bring. We need to continue what we did in Game 5 and build on that.”

Mark Scheifele, who is second in postseason scoring for the Jets with 10 points, will play despite the recent death of his father. He aims to help his team reach the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2018.

Teams holding a 3-2 lead in a Stanley Cup Playoff series win the series nearly 80 percent of the time. The Stars will look to maintain that trend against the Jets, who desperately need to turn around their recent road performance.

As the teams prepare, the Jets and Stars both anticipate high stakes and intense competition on Saturday night. Will the Stars secure their trip to the Conference Final, or can the Jets extend their season?