The long-awaited playoff clash between Central Division foes Dallas and Minnesota is finally here, with both clubs having anticipated this first-round matchup for several months now.
These division rivals already provided a preview of what’s to come during a hard-hitting encounter just over a week ago at the same venue where Game 1 will unfold Saturday night.
“I think it’s exactly what it was,” Stars forward Mikko Rantanen commented Friday.
The Stars emerged victorious 5-4 in that April 9 contest, which featured an astounding 12 roughing infractions split evenly between both squads. The regular season series concluded with each team capturing two victories while both clubs tallied 13 goals overall.
“They got the best of us for sure, but it was a great hockey game for the end of a regular season,” Minnesota forward Matt Boldy reflected.
The two franchises that occupied second and third positions in the Central Division standings for most of the campaign, trailing Presidents’ Trophy champion Colorado, will now engage in a best-of-seven battle beginning Saturday in Dallas.
Minnesota squandered an opportunity that evening to draw even with Dallas in the standings. The Stars essentially secured home-ice advantage with that victory, which kicked off a five-game winning streak to close out the regular season.
“We learned some lessons last time we played them,” Wild forward Marcus Foligno explained. “We know that they’re a really, really good team, and so are we. They have some lethal weapons. We’re just more educated, more experienced going into this series than we were before. We always like our chances. We’re positive.”
For the first time in their respective histories, both organizations boast a pair of 40-goal scorers in the same campaign. Kirill Kaprizov netted 45 goals while Boldy contributed 42 for Minnesota. Dallas countered with Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston, the 22-year-old center already participating in his fourth postseason, each finding the net 45 times.
“That’s a legit number,” Stars veteran forward Matt Duchene acknowledged.
Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen returned to practice Friday for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury when Ryan Hartman sent him crashing into the boards during their previous meeting with Minnesota.
Stars coach Glen Gulutzan reported that Heiskanen, who missed the beginning of last year’s playoffs, completed practice without complications and felt strong.
“I would think that as long as everything goes good, he should be in,” Gulutzan stated. “He means everything on both sides of the puck for us. Power play, penalty kill, he touches all parts of the game.”
Stars top-line center Roope Hintz, sidelined since March 6, will be absent for the playoff opener following a setback in his recovery from a lower-body ailment.
Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes, battling an illness since his last appearance Saturday, made his own travel arrangements to Dallas Friday after missing the team’s Thursday departure.
“With the illness, I think more rest for him and just not having him on the plane,” coach John Hynes explained. “The expectation is for him to play.”
Jake Oettinger enters his 11th playoff series as Dallas’s starting netminder, marking his second appearance against Minnesota — particularly meaningful for the Minnesota native who grew up roughly 30 miles from their home arena. His inaugural playoff series victory came in six games against the Wild during the 2023 first round.
Minnesota has chosen rookie Jesper Wallstedt over playoff-veteran Filip Gustavsson, though Hynes stressed this decision applies only to Game 1 rather than the entire series.
“His overall body work has been really solid. He’s played really well coming down the stretch,” Hynes said regarding the 23-year-old rookie. “We’re confident in both guys.”
Gustavsson made his playoff debut three seasons ago with an outstanding 51-save performance in a double-overtime triumph over Dallas during Game 1. Wallstedt appeared in 33 games during his NHL rookie season, posting the league’s second-best .916 save percentage while establishing franchise rookie marks with 18 victories and four shutouts.
While Dallas will concentrate heavily on neutralizing Kaprizov and Boldy, Minnesota possesses a reliable scorer on their third line with extensive playoff experience in Vladimir Tarasenko. The former St. Louis standout, who has captured the Stanley Cup twice during his 14-year career, has recorded 49 goals across 121 career playoff contests. Tarasenko contributed 23 goals and 24 assists in his debut season with Minnesota.
“He’s a big-game player,” Hynes noted. “I think that leadership and the way he plays is certainly a playoff-style of game.”
Dallas has won both previous postseason matchups against Minnesota in six games, occurring in 2016 and 2023. The Stars franchise previously operated as the Minnesota North Stars before relocating south in 1993. Minnesota’s 12 playoff appearances over 14 years represent the most in the NHL during that timeframe, though they’ve dropped nine consecutive series since defeating St. Louis in the 2015 first round. Dallas is making its fifth straight postseason appearance, with the last three campaigns ending in the Western Conference final. Gulutzan, who participated in 83 playoff games as an Edmonton assistant including Stanley Cup Final trips the past two seasons, seeks his first postseason victory as a head coach after Calgary was swept by Anaheim in 2017.
