Ready for the road: Why starting the Second Round away from home could be good for Dallas

There’s nothing like the unique atmospheres created by each fan base in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Each team’s traditions present a fascinating case study. Whether it’s the coordination of the Winnipeg Whiteout, the rowdiness of Maple Leaf Square, a ‘smash car’ in Nashville or the ringing of the storm siren in Raleigh; each franchise boasts one-of-a-kind themes that can create a daunting environment for visitors. It’s all a part of the desire to create a true and unchallengeable “home ice advantage” that could make or break a series.

The Stars have seen a lot of it in recent years. They’ve been fortunate enough to play a number of important games, specifically Game 7’s, in front of their home fans at American Airlines Center. From the amped-up “STARS” chants during the national anthem, to every goal chant, wave of a rally towel, blink of a wristband and “BING BONG” after a goal, the AAC atmosphere in the late spring is raucous and energetic. Need further proof? Watch any of the highlights from Saturday’s Game 7 win against the Avalanche.

On the flip side, they’ve also endured some hostile environments. From the pageantry and showmanship in Vegas, to the historic and deeply-rooted discontent held by Minnesota fans, Dallas has seen some chaotic and frenetic crowds.

Fortunately, the numbers have been mostly in their favor. In seven playoff series under head coach Pete DeBoer, the Stars owned home ice in six. Only the 2023 Western Conference Final saw them open on the road against Vegas. And whether it’s getting the chance to draw first blood in front of your crowd or having a leg up in a do-or-die Game 7, home ice has its perks.

That’s what makes their next series so interesting. After owning home ice in four straight matchups, Dallas will kick off the Second Round against the Winnipeg Jets in Manitoba on Wednesday night.

That may seem like a daunting task against the winners of the 2025 Presidents’ Trophy. After all, the Jets finished the 2024-25 regular season with a ridiculous 30-7-4 record at Canada Life Centre, good for second-best in the NHL. They held visiting teams to an NHL-best 1.95 goals against per game and finished with a +58 goal differential.

To top it all off, they went a perfect 4-0 against the St. Louis Blues in the First Round, including a thrilling multi-goal comeback win in Game 7.

“We have to handle the momentum in that building,” DeBoer said. “The one thing you take from the St. Louis series is that [the Jets] were a different team at home than they were on the road. At home in that building, they really feed off their crowd and that environment. We have to manage that and everything that comes with that.”

Meanwhile, the Stars finished the First Round with a 1-2 record away from home, including two lopsided losses in Game 4 and Game 6.

Should there be a certain level of worry as the team faces the Winnipeg Whiteout for the first time in franchise history? Maybe. But there’s also a belief that starting the series on the road for the first time in a while might provide a necessary shakeup.

That belief is largely rooted in the fact that Dallas has lost eight consecutive Games 1’s dating back to the 2022 First Round against Calgary. Six of those came on home ice.

“Well, we’re going on the road which is a good one because the last three or four [Game 1’s] have all been at home,” DeBoer said. “Hopefully that changes it.”

And while he added that nothing changes in terms of preparation from game-to-game in a playoff series, he does believe that starting on the road could help with simplifying the Stars’ play.

Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger agrees.

“That’s the mindset,” Oettinger said about playing a simple game. “We’ve always been at home and you feel like if you don’t win both of those games, you’re behind in the series. For us, it’s kind of like we’ve been great at home all year, so let’s go on the road, try to win Game 1 and go from there. Just a ‘nothing to lose’ mentality might help free us up a little bit. Just play loose and try to go up there and win a scrappy road game.”

In a weird way, a road Game 1 could provide less pressure. With no chance to get caught up in the waves of support from the home crowd and a need to block out a hostile environment and focus solely on hockey, the road presents an opportunity to stick to the basics.

“You just want to try and frustrate the home team and shut down their crowd,” defenseman Esa Lindell said. “We talk often about how we want to play the same way on the road, but at the same time you want to simplify it. Maybe the momentum shifts more if you make mistakes on the road and it feeds the home team.”

And that’s where the Stars must be careful. Mistakes in the playoffs are often easier to overcome on home ice. In enemy territory, they can feed the home team’s attack and turn the tide. Take Game 4 in Colorado for example. After successfully weathering an early storm, the Stars turned the puck over on a power play that led to a shorthanded goal against. What could’ve been an early lead turned into a deficit, and Colorado seized control. The Avs scored a power play goal a few minutes later and ended up outshooting the Stars 36-12 in the final two periods.

The shifts can be lightning quick. As a result, a cautious and confident approach is often the best remedy.

“On the road, you just establish that simple game,” Oettinger said. “We have all the firepower in the world in here. But if we do the little things right, we’ll get our offense. For us, it’s worrying about keeping the puck out of our net. We know we have the skill to fill up their net, so just try to play simple and let our skill take over.”

It’s a philosophy that the Stars have preached under DeBoer. Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Dallas owns a 73-37-13 record on the road along with 3.40 goals per game and 2.68 goals against per game. All three lead the NHL. In the 2024 playoffs, they went 6-3 on the road, including winning Games 3-4 of the First Round in Vegas (after dropping the first two at home) and all three contests in Colorado in the Second Round.

A sizable chunk of that success can be attributed to Oettinger, who seems to make a living off of silencing opposing buildings in the biggest moments.

The 26-year-old goalie boasts a .918 save percentage and 2.43 goals against average on the road since the 2022 playoffs. Both are second in the NHL over the span. He’s flat-out stolen wins in Calgary, Minnesota, Vegas and Colorado and provides a steadying force in the crease.

“There’s just something about it,” Oettinger said about “wearing the black hat” in the opposing buildings. “Every time they get a shot, the whole building goes nuts or goes, ‘Ohh.’ Something about that just makes it feel super intense. There’s nothing better than going in there, playing great and quieting the building. I think it started in college with the student sections and all of the people rooting against you, that’s kind of when I first was like, ‘This is where I thrive.’ Every time you get to play on the road is great, especially in the playoffs.”

And how about facing the famous Winnipeg Whiteout for the first time?

“It’s going to be sick,” Oettinger said. “I’m really excited.”

So as the Stars descend on Winnipeg on Wednesday night in hopes of opening the series on a winning note, there’s reason to believe that enemy territory might be the perfect place to make that happen.

“You definitely want to start at home, but maybe it is a good thing to go on the road,” forward Wyatt Johnston said. “Maybe it puts the pressure on them to some extent. Obviously, winning Game 1 on the road is huge, so that would be a different look for us. This is my eighth series, and we’ve started six of them at home. It’ll be a little different, but it should be good. Excited to get going tomorrow.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Josh Clark is a writer for DallasStars.com. Follow him on X @Josh_Clark02.