![\"Minnesota](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-13.png\")
Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The Minnesota Wild went into Dallas on Saturday afternoon and absolutely destroyed their former hometown team from puck drop to final buzzer. Joel Eriksson Ek scored first, the only goal of the first period.<\/p>\n
In the second, however, the Wild turned a 1-0 first period lead into a 4-1 lead<\/a> by the end of the second, thanks to goals by Kirill Kaprizov, Ryan Harman and Matt Boldy. Jason Robertson also scored Dallas\u2019 only goal, in the middle session, but it was way too little, too late.<\/p>\n Ryan Hartman \u2013 Minnesota Wild (1)* pic.twitter.com\/p8MKeDcBfO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) April 18, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Minnesota Wild dominate Dallas Stars physically and emotionally<\/p>\n In the third period, Eriksson Ek slammed the door on any hopes the stars had of a comeback, potting his second goal<\/a> of the game to make it 5-1. But Boldy added an empty-netter anyway, just to be sure.<\/p>\n The final score, a 6-1 Minnesota Wild victory<\/a> was reflective of how the game played out.<\/p>\n It\u2019s one thing to lose Game 1. It\u2019s another to lose it in this fashion. The Stars treated the first game of the Stanley Cup playoffs like it was the 53rd game of the regular season. They had no juice, no hop in their step. Their forecheck was non-existent, giving Minnesota easy clear after easy clear, every possession a none-and-done. Their penalty kill was passive; their defensemen lost seemingly every 50\/50 puck.<\/p>\n Mark Lazerus \u2013 The Athletic<\/a><\/p>\n John Hynes and Bill Guerin had the Minnesota Wild ready to play for game one, even though Quinn Hughes didn\u2019t arrive in Dallas until day of game, due to an illness he\u2019s been struggling to shake for the better part of a week.<\/p>\n But while the Wild\u2019s stars showed out all afternoon long, the Dallas Stars woke up and forgot the playoffs were starting. At least, that\u2019s how they played. As longtime NHL reporter Mark Lazerus (The Athletic)<\/a> put it<\/a>, the home team played Saturday \u201clike it was game 53 of the regular season\u201d, not opening night of the postseason.<\/p>\n To Minnesota\u2019s credit, they took advantage of Dallas\u2019 lack of intensity, and ran them out of their own building. After the game, you\u2019d expect the Stars players to be frustrated and ready to get vengeance in game two.<\/p>\n Stars players, coaches apathetic after game one loss to Wild?<\/p>\n To Lazerus\u2019 surprise, that wasn\u2019t the vibe in the Stars\u2019 locker room after the game. Instead, Dallas players were calm, composed and unconcerned.<\/p>\n In fact, they were so dispassionate that the former Blackhawks reporter-turned-Senior Writer at The Athletic was struggling to identify the Stars\u2019 attitude between unflappable and apathetic.<\/p>\n The Stars came out sleeping. And if Game 1 served as a wakeup call, you couldn\u2019t tell afterward. Jake Oettinger doesn\u2019t have to flip over tables in the locker room after being hung out to dry, but maybe something a little more fiery than, \u201cI don\u2019t think we played our best game, but we played a lot of playoff series and lost a lot of Game 1s.\u201d<\/p>\n Miro Heiskanen doesn\u2019t have to shatter sticks against the walls of the tunnel, but maybe something a little more spicy than, \u201cIt\u2019s a long series, it\u2019s a best-of-seven, it\u2019s one game.\u201d Glen Gulutzan doesn\u2019t have to throw his goalie under the bus, but maybe something a little more frustrated than, \u201cI think we all have a little bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n Mark Lazerus \u2013 The Athletic<\/a><\/p>\n “You can’t dwell on wins. You can’t dwell on losses.”@DallasStars<\/a> head coach Glen Gulutzan reacts to the team’s series-opening loss.#TexasHockey<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/rdig27Zqva<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Victory+ (@victoryplustv) April 19, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n If you\u2019ve been paying attention to Dallas Stars hockey in recent years (I haven\u2019t), losing game one is a theme. Last year, the lost game one to the Colorado Avalanche, just to come back and win the series<\/a> in seven games.<\/p>\n In 2024, they did the same thing against both the Golden Knights<\/a> and Oilers<\/a>. Going all the way back to 2023, the Stars went down 1-0<\/a> to the Wild, due to a double-overtime Minnesota victory. The Wild actually went up 2-1 in that series, before losing three straight.<\/p>\n Other MN Wild News: Renderings of Hopeful Grand Casino Arena Upgrades Unveiled<\/a><\/p>\n And look, the Stars have been there, they have won that. Unless you are counting Stanley Cups, there aren\u2019t a lot of teams in the NHL who have won more in the playoffs the past handful of seasons.<\/p>\n Dallas has played in the last three Western Conference Finals<\/a>. In 2019-20, they made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, meaning in the past six NHL postseasons, the Stars have won NINE playoff series. For context, the MN Wild have won ZERO, in that same time period \u2014 actually going all the way back<\/a> to 2014-15.<\/p>\n Lazarus urges Dallas Stars to \u201cwake up\u201d, or else\u2026<\/p>\n So, are the Dallas Stars just used to being in this position? Is this just a veteran hockey club ready for what they know will be a grind-it-out playoff series\u2026 or is it possible the Wild\u2019s first round playoff opponent isn\u2019t up for that type of heavyweight fight this early in the postseason?<\/p>\n I guess we will find out on Monday night\u2026<\/p>\n No, it\u2019s not time to panic. But it is time to wake up. The Wild are every bit the challenge that Colorado was last year. And if Dallas doesn\u2019t get its act together \u2014 if Oettinger doesn\u2019t dial in, if the penalty kill doesn\u2019t figure something out, if the defense doesn\u2019t keep their controllers plugged in at all times, if the Stars don\u2019t start playing like they\u2019re in the\u00a0freaking Stanley Cup playoffs\u00a0\u2014 there won\u2019t be a fourth deep run in their future.<\/p>\n There won\u2019t even be another Game 1 for them to lose.<\/p>\n Mark Lazerus \u2013 The Athletic<\/a> More About:Minnesota Wild<\/a><\/p>\n Add MinnesotaSportsFan as a preferred source on Google. \t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMentioned in this article: Dallas Stars<\/a> NHL Playoffs<\/a> <\/p>\n![\"Add](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/google_preferred_source_badge.png\"){kind=icon}
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