DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Stars surged into the Olympic break winning six games in a row, and now have to pause their longest streak of the season.
“I kind of hate the timing of this, to be honest. You know, feeling good as an individual and then as a team, we’re rolling,” center Matt Duchene said. “But I think that hunger will continue to fester on the break.”
Dallas certainly hopes to come out of this three-week hiatus better than it did after a much-shorter break at Christmas. The Stars had won eight of 10 before an overtime loss in their last game before the three-day holiday, then dropped 10 of 13 until this six-game stretch of one-goal wins that began and ended at home against St. Louis — the deciding goal came in the final minute of both of those games.
“It's nice because it buys you some peace on the break,” coach Glen Gulutzan said after a 5-4 win over the Blues on Wednesday night. “But I do know that these streaks, that much of a break, you've got to try to start them back up again. It's almost like they end because it's all new when you come back.”
Gulutzan, first the Stars coach from 2011-13, was re-hired by general manager Jim Nill last summer after Pete DeBoer was fired following their third consecutive season that ended with a loss in the Western Conference Final.
The Stars (34-14-9, 77 points) are again a top contender in the Western Conference, trailing only Colorado (88 points) and Minnesota (78) — who have the NHL's top two records. They have 25 regular-season games (15 at home) remaining over 50 days when they resume play Feb. 25 against Seattle. They play the Avalanche three times and the Wild twice.
“We’ve done a lot of really good things lately. I think four of those six (wins) are our best hockey we’ve played all year. ... There’s lots of build to and we’ll come back really hungry from this break,” Duchene said.
“There’s always something to work on as a group and we’re not perfect by any means,” Stars captain Jamie Benn said. “But I like the way we found ways to win, and we’ll get some rest and come back and work at our game. We’re in for a sprint after these Olympics, and it’ll be fun.”
Duchene missed 24 games early in the season because of a concussion, but the 35-year-old center has six goals and two assists during his point streak that equals the team's winning streak. He had a goal and an assist Wednesday night.
The 36-year-old Benn, in his 17th NHL season and all with Dallas, missed the first 19 games this season because of a collapsed lung in the preseason. He scored two goals in the latest game, including the game-winner with 22.8 seconds left, to snap a 15-game goal drought. It was his first multigoal game since scoring twice against Pittsburgh on March 22, 2024.
“I've been telling him nonstop how well he's playing and he's got some swagger in his game and he's a heck of a player, and he's shown it throughout his career,” Duchene said of Benn, who has been with him on the same line. “He's still got a lot of game in him and he's been awesome to play with.”
Seven Stars are going to the Milan Cortina Olympics, including all four of their Finnish players: Mikko Rantanen (20 goals, 49 assists), Roope Hintz, Esa Lindel and Miro Heiskanen. Thomas Harley will be part of Team Canada, along with GM Nill, while Radek Faksa will play for the Czech Republic and goalie Jake Oettinger for the United States.
Left off the Team USA roster was Jason Robertson, who has 66 points (32 goals, 34 assists) this season. He became the first player from the NHL’s 2017 draft class with 200 career goals when he scored in his 431st career game Wednesday night.
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Dallas Stars' Sam Steel (18), Jamie Benn (14) and Miro Heiskanen (4) celebrate Benn's goal that came late in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan, left, reacts while talking to assistant coach Alain Nasreddine during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Winnipeg Jets Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Dallas Stars center Matt Duchene (95) controls the puck on an attack as St. Louis Blues' Tyler Tucker (75) and goaltender Jordan Binnington (50) defend the net in the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday that demands made by Democrats for new restrictions on federal immigration officers are “unrealistic” and warned that the Department of Homeland Security will shut down next week if they do not work with Republicans and the White House.
Democrats say they will not vote for a DHS spending bill when funding runs out unless there are “dramatic changes” at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal law enforcement agencies in the wake of the fatal shootings of two protesters in Minneapolis last month.
The Democratic leaders, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, released an expanded list of 10 detailed proposals on Wednesday night for restraining President Donald Trump’s aggressive campaign of immigration enforcement. Among the demands are a requirement for judicial warrants, better identification of DHS officers, new use of force standards and a stop to racial profiling.
Congress is trying to renegotiate the DHS spending bill after Trump last week agreed to a Democratic request that it be separated from a larger spending measure and extended at current levels for two weeks while the two parties negotiate. The deal came after ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, and some Republicans agreed that new restrictions were necessary.
But with nearly a week gone, a shutdown is becoming increasingly likely starting Feb. 14 as Republicans have been cool to most of the Democrats’ requests.
“This is not a blank check situation where Republicans just do agree to a list of Democrat demands,” said Thune, R-S.D. “The only way to get reforms to ICE is to agree to a bill.”
As of now, Thune said, “we aren’t anywhere close to having any sort of an agreement.”
In addition to ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the homeland security bill includes funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration. If DHS shuts down, Thune said, “there’s a very good chance we could see more travel problems” similar to the 43-day government closure last year.
Schumer, D-N.Y., said he is “astounded to hear” Republicans say his party’s proposals were political or unworkable.
“It’s about people’s basic rights, it’s about people’s safety,” Schumer said. If Republicans do not like the ideas, he said, “they need to explain why.”
Schumer and Jeffries, D-N.Y., have made several demands, including no masks for officers, judicial warrants and better federal coordination with local authorities. The list they released Wednesday added several new items, including a stricter use of force policy, legal safeguards at detention centers and a prohibition on tracking protesters with body-worn cameras.
Democrats say Congress should end indiscriminate arrests, “improve warrant procedures and standards,” ensure the law is clear that officers cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant and require that before a person can be detained, it's verified that the person is not a U.S. citizen.
They also want an end to racial profiling, saying DHS officers should be prohibited from stopping, questioning or searching people "based on an individual’s presence at certain locations, their job, their spoken language and accent or their race and ethnicity.”
For officers conducting immigration enforcement, Democrats say that in addition to officers taking off their masks and showing identification, DHS should regulate and standardize uniforms and equipment to bring them in line with other law enforcement agencies.
Schumer called it a “gut check moment for Congress" as the immigration enforcement operations have rocked Minneapolis and other U.S. cities. But Republicans were dismissive.
Wyoming's John Barrasso, the No. 2 Republican senator, said the demands are “radical and extreme” and a “far-left wish list.”
Sen. Katie Britt, who is helping lead negotiations, said the list is “a ridiculous Christmas list of demands" and warned that time is running out before the deadline.
“I encourage them to talk to the White House,” she said. “We only have one week left.”
Thune has also encouraged Democrats and the White House to talk. It is unclear whether they are or whether Democrats would be willing to back down on any of their demands.
Some Republicans have demands of their own, including adding legislation that would require proof of citizenship before Americans register to vote and restrictions on cities that they say do not do enough to crack down on illegal immigration.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said it is up to Republicans to ensure the government does shut down because they are in charge.
“The American people want this abuse to stop,” Murphy said.
Other lawmakers are searching for options to prevent another partial shutdown.
One idea being floated is to essentially fund some of the other agencies within DHS -– the Coast Guard, airport operations under TSA and disaster assistance from FEMA.
“Why not take that off the table?” said Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, whose state is in need of FEMA funds from recent disasters.
“If it doesn’t look like they can get it done,” he said about the immigration enforcement overhaul, “I really think they should look at a la carte funding of agencies.”
Some Democrats have said they agree, but Thune said Thursday that splitting apart the DHS appropriations bill to single out ICE would “defund law enforcement.”
Splitting the bill would mean essentially cutting ICE loose by allowing it to go without its routine federal funding because the agency already has such a robust budget from Trump’s tax and spending cut bill from last year.
ICE is expected to receive about $10 billion in the annual appropriations bill, a fraction of the $175 billion-plus for homeland security for the administration’s mass deportation agenda.
Associated Press writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report.
House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
