Roope Hintz scores overtime breakaway goal after tying game late as Stars beat Jets 3-2

DALLAS (AP) — Roope Hintz scored on a breakaway 3:47 into overtime after his game-tying goal with 2 minutes left in regulation and the Dallas Stars beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Thursday night.

Wyatt Johnston scored his first goal of the season for Dallas, after 45 last season, and had an assist. Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen each had two assists.

Rantanen, who two nights earlier had a hat trick for every Stars goal in a 3-2 overtime win against Boston, passed to Hintz from behind the net for the late regulation goal.

Hintz had been denied a tying goal at the end of the second period after he got his stick on a puck from the side of the net behind Stuart Skinner, who made an incredible save reaching back with his glove to smother the rolling puck before it could cross the line.

Skinner finished with 35 saves.

Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor scored goals less than 2 minutes apart in the second period for the Jets, who have lost four one-goal games in a row.

Vilardi kept whacking at an unsecured puck that was against the pads of goalie Jake Oettinger, and Connor scored on a one-timer from the middle of the right circle after a turnover.

Oettinger stopped 17 shots, and has allowed two goals or less in seven of his eight games this season.

Jets forward Nino Niederreiter left the ice bleeding with 6:51 left in the game after taking a stick to the face from teammate Tyrel Bauer.

Robertson got his 500th and 501st career points (216 goals, 285 assists) in his 466th game. Only three players in Stars franchise history reached 500 points in fewer games — Neal Broten (461), Bobby Smith (463) and Dino Ciccarelli (465).

Jets: Host the Montreal Canadiens in the Heritage Classic, an outdoor game Sunday in Winnipeg.

Stars: Play the third of six consecutive home games, a season high, when they host the New York Rangers on Sunday.

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (24) celebrates after scoring an overtime goal with teammate Jamie Benn, left, during an NHL hockey game against the Winnipeg Jets, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston (53) is congratulated after scoring against the Winnipeg Jets during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) defends the goal against Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) and center Justin Hryckowian (49) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Winnipeg Jets center Gabriel Vilardi, left, celebrates after scoring with teammate center Viggo Bjorck (61) during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (24) jumps after scoring a goal against Winnipeg Jets goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarians will vote for a new president on Sunday following an election campaign that was focused mainly on Russia’s war in Ukraine and the widening hostilities in the Black Sea, on Bulgaria's doorstep, including deadly drone attacks on commercial vessels.

Candidates are also addressing public fears about the steep rise in energy prices and surging inflation, with many Bulgarians in rural areas struggling to make ends meet.

Bulgaria’s presidency is primarily ceremonial. Although the head of state has no executive powers, and all major policies must be approved by Parliament, direct election gives the president greater political authority. The president leads the armed forces and can veto legislation, signs international treaties and appoints ambassadors.

Presidents in Bulgaria are elected directly for a five-year term and can serve no more than two terms.

Analysts expect none of the 27 candidates to win outright on Sunday. Turnout must be above 50% of 6.6 million registered voters and the winner needs a majority of the votes. Sunday’s turnout is expected to be less than 40%, which means a runoff on Nov. 1.

Incumbent Iliana Yotova, a 62-year-old journalist and former member of the European Parliament, is a front-runner. She previously served as vice president under Rumen Radev, the current prime minister, during his two terms as head of state. She took over the presidency in January 2026, when Radev stepped down to run for parliament, and is seeking her own mandate.

Radev's center-left Progressive Bulgaria party won a landslide victory in April’s general election. Yotova is running as an independent, but also has the official backing of Progressive Bulgaria and the Socialist Party, where her career began.

Her main challenger is economist Andrei Gyurov, a former deputy governor of the central bank and caretaker prime minister who led the country in the early months of 2026. He is supported by the pro-Western reformist opposition. Observers believe his best chance of winning would come in a runoff.

Yotova's victory would keep the presidency in the hands of the ruling majority, a departure from the country's post-communist history.

The Balkan country joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union in 2007, and while there is a broad consensus among the parties in Parliament on the country's pro-Western path, widespread pro-Russian sentiments based on traditional historical and cultural ties with Russia have divided society, particularly since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in Ukraine.

Radev has often stated that he would keep Bulgaria on its European path but at the same time he has called for improved relations with Russia and the lifting of sanctions. Analysts expect Yotova to continue Radev’s policy.

Dobromir Zhivkov, managing director of Market Links polling agency, said that Yotova belongs to the political class that advocates a more neutral position for Bulgaria.

“They call for an end to aid for Ukraine and a halt to arms deliveries to Ukraine; we often hear them use Kremlin rhetoric and terminology borrowed directly from Kremlin propaganda” he told The Associated Press.

Addressing supporters at a rally this week, Yotova said that one of the main points of divergence from her opponents was the war in Ukraine. She said she advocated for peace through negotiations, rather than force.

“Do we want the Black Sea to become a closed military zone? We will categorically not agree to such a decision. I will not accept this warmongering,” she said.

A string of drone attacks on at least seven cargo vessels in the Black Sea this month, off the coasts of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria, has raised concerns over Russia's intentions to escalate the conflict. The attacks in the two countries’ exclusive economic zones threaten a global shipping route and have left three people dead with at least 28 missing. They also run the risk of drawing other countries directly into the war for Ukraine.

A poll conducted Oct. 13-19 by Market Links gave Yotova 47.3% versus Gyurov's 30.6%. The poll was conducted among 1,006 Bulgarians and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

If she wins, Yotova would become Bulgaria's first elected female president.

Posters featuring independent presidential candidate Andrey Gyurov and his vice-presidential running mate, Georgi Kandev are displayed on screens during their campaign's closing event in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, on Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

Independent presidential candidate Andrey Gyurov speaks during campaign's closing event in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, on Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

Poster of incumbent President and presidential candidate Iliana Yotova is seen in Sofia, Bulgaria, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, before presidential elections on Sunday, Oct. 25. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

Incumbent President and presidential candidate Iliana Yotova attends pre-election campaign event in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)