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The Dallas Stars are entering the Stanley Cup Playoffs on a different path this season. When they host the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of their first-round series on Saturday, the Stars will be riding a five-game winning streak. A year ago, Dallas entered the playoffs on a season-long seven-game skid, but then went on to reach the Western Conference finals. “Last year, we were comfortable and confident going into the playoffs, but it is nice going in winning,” Dallas forward Sam Steel said. “There are less questions.” The Stars are also as healthy as they’ve been in a while. They are still without forwards Tyler Seguin and Roope Hintz, but defenseman Miro Heiskanen returned to practice on Friday after

Success came quickly for Toronto Raptors power forward Scottie Barnes, who won the Rookie of the Year award and got a taste of the playoffs four years ago. Two All-Star selections followed, but a return to the postseason proved elusive until now. The fifth-seeded Raptors will challenge the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in an Eastern Conference first-round series. Game 1 is Saturday in Cleveland. “We knew from when we talked in training camp, that was our goal,” said Barnes, the only player in the league with 600 rebounds, 400 assists and 100 blocked shots in a single season. “I think we were all confident then that we could get it done. It’s just great that we went out and did it.”

Denver slugged its way past Minnesota in 2023 on its way to the NBA title. The Timberwolves derailed a Nuggets repeat with a Game 7 upset in 2024. Act III of this sometimes-bitter rivalry kicks off Saturday afternoon when No. 3 Denver hosts No. 6 Minnesota for Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals. Since the calendar turned to 2023 the teams have played 28 times, including the playoffs, and each has won 14 games. The Timberwolves dominated the four regular-season matchups in 2024-25 but the Nuggets took three of the four meetings this season, including an overtime thriller on Christmas night. And there is star power, most notably from Minnesota’s outspoken guard Anthony Edwards and Denver’s more muted triple-double

The Arizona Diamondbacks will return home as one of the hottest teams in baseball, set to open a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night in Phoenix. Since a 9-6 win over the Detroit Tigers on March 30, the Diamondbacks have won 11 times. Only the San Diego Padres (12) have won more in that stretch. Arizona completed a 6-3 road trip by winning all three series — against the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles. Arizona has eight comeback victories this season and has won six of 10 one-run games. The Diamondbacks have not lost a series since being swept by the Dodgers to open the season, winning four and splitting the other series.