Tuesday, March 19, 2024 Mar 19, 2024
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Hockey

What I’m Watching: Sink or Skate Time for the Stars

Plus: The Mavs' pivotal Game 5 and the Cowboys' first-round dilemma.
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Life without Luka is over. So is Jon Gray’s short-lived return from the IL; less than a week after recovering from a blister, he’s now out with a sprained MCL in his left knee. The Stars’ playoff chase, meanwhile, continues—and comes to a head on Tuesday.

Here’s what I’m watching.

Monday, 4/25: Jazz at Mavericks, Game 58:30 p.m., Bally Sports Southwest/TNT

Simply put, this is the series. The previous four games and Utah’s track record don’t suggest that it has the mettle to win consecutive high-stakes games, so a Mavs win should plunge the Jazz into a hole they can’t climb out of. I don’t believe a Mavs loss dooms Dallas in quite the same way—certainly not if they win Game 6 and force a decisive winner-take-all game in the American Airlines Center. Nevertheless, hardly ideal.

For what it’s worth, if you’ve been reading along with “What We Saw, What It Felt Like,” you know Iztok Franko and I are confident heading into tonight.

Tuesday, 4/26: Golden Knights at Stars7:30 p.m., Bally Sports Southwest Extra

The Stars were bailed out of their disastrous Canadian road swing last week by Vegas—their primary competition for the last playoff spot in the West—blowing a home game to the horrific San Jose Sharks. The math for tomorrow is now very simple: win, and the Stars are in. David Castillo will have more on that and whether or not Dallas necessarily deserves a postseason spot based on one key piece of data.

Thursday, 4/28: Who will the Cowboys select in the first round of the NFL Draft?7 p.m., ESPN

If you’ve been reading Jeff Cavanaugh’s excellent draft series, you know that the Cowboys have no shortage of needs and only one Day 1 pick to throw at them. Should they go wide receiver? Offensive line? Something else entirely? Put me down for a big ugly—Boston College’s Zion Johnson, if we’re getting specific—so Dallas can reap the benefits of a deep receiver class on Day 2.

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Mike Piellucci

Mike Piellucci

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Mike Piellucci is D Magazine's sports editor. He is a former staffer at The Athletic and VICE, and his freelance…

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