Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images
The Stanley Cup Playoffs start in less than a month, with one playoff series nearly 100% set in stone.
The Dallas Stars will play the Minnesota Wild in the First Round, both teams being victims of the current playoff format.
The Stars are seven points from the Avalanche, and the Wild are 12 points from the Mammoth. This will start a gauntlet of an interesting First Round.
The Stars have 11 games remaining on their schedule, with Game 1 at home versus Minnesota probable.
Unfair Format
The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild should not play each other in the First Round. One of these elite-level teams will knock the other out in 4-7 games. Both of these teams have a much tougher path than others. The top-3 teams in the Pacific Division are ranked 14th, 18th, and 19th in the NHL. The New York Islanders are ranked 12th and out of a playoff spot.
As of now, the #14 Anaheim Ducks will play #16 Utah. The #2 Stars will play the #6 Wild. A team eight ranks lower than the Wild will be ranked ten spots below the Wild. The playoff format must change because both the Stars and the Wild are getting stiffed here. They must go through the current format so they are stuck with each other.
Desperation
This is the 3rd playoff meeting between these two teams. The Stars won the first two, both in Minnesota: Game 6 in 2016 and Game 6 in 2023. This is a major rivalry series for the Wild. The Stars used to play as the Minnesota North Stars from 1967 to 1993 before relocating to Dallas. The Wild have lost seven straight First Round series. They have played in the Western Conference Final only once, scoring one goal in a series sweep by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 2003.
Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images
The Stars are also looking for more. They are the only team in NHL history to lose three consecutive Conference Finals. Nerves will run high in Game 1, as all roads point to a long series. The Stars have not been swept in a series since the Blues swept them in 2001. Only two of all of their playoff series since 2006 ended in five games or fewer. Both teams need to win this series.
Minnesota Wild
This series is a defining moment for both teams. The Wild are loaded up, notably acquiring Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks. The Minnesota Wild have a difficult offseason approaching. Former Star Mats Zuccarello is 38, alongside Nick Foligno. Marcus Johansson is 35, Jeff Petry is 38, and Jarod Spurgeon is 36. These playoffs are one last hurrah for these players, with the team’s future at stake. Kirill Kaprizov will start his tenure as the highest-paid NHL player next season at a $17 million AAV. Matt Boldy, Brock Faber, and their goaltending tandem can do some damage. Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt are backstopping the Wild to a 40-20-12 record this season. Both teams are loaded up for a daunting playoff series.
Home ice is a major advantage to have in the playoffs. The Stars are 3-2 in their last five Game 7s played in front of a crowd (not including Colorado in 2020). The home team won all five. Each consecutive game is more pivotal than the last. The Stars cannot, under any circumstances, lose the first two home games.
The Grand Casino Arena is an extremely hostile environment where the Stars are not well-liked.
This is a tough playoff series, so buckle up.
Dallas Stars Nation Blogger. You can time how fast I skate with a calendar. Lifetime GAA about 12.50.
Tags: 2026 NHL Playoffs 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Anaheim Ducks Avalanche Brock FAber Colorado Avalanche dallas stars Ducks Filip Gustavsson Islanders Jake Oettinger jamie benn Jason Robertson Jesper Wallstedt Mikko Rantanen Minnesota Wild New York Islanders nhl nhl playoffs playoffs Stanley Cup Playoffs stars Wild