The Dallas Stars are back in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Dallas is coming off a first-round boot from the playoffs last season, but there are some stark differences between the 2022 Stars and this year’s squad.
For starters, the Stars are in their first year under new head coach Pete DeBoer. They added forward Mason Marchment in free agency during the offseason, and made a pair of impactful moves at the NHL trade deadline in March. They’ve seen huge steps forward from their young core of Jason Robertson, Jake Oettinger and Miro Heiskanen, and got a dynamite rookie season from 19-year-old Wyatt Johnston.
After a stellar playoff series against Calgary last season, Dallas rewarded the 23-year-old Oettinger with a three-year contract extension and kept the top line together by signing Robertson to a four-year contract.
One regular season and a franchise-record 108 points later, here we are.
Find everything Stars fans need to know about the playoff run below:
Round 1: Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild
Schedule
| Location | Time/Result | TV | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | American Airlines Center, Dallas | Wild 3, Stars 2 in 2OT (Minnesota leads 1-0) | BSSW, ESPN2 |
| Game 2 | American Airlines Center, Dallas | Stars 7, Wild 3 (Series tied 1-1) | BSSW, ESPN2 |
| Game 3 | Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN | Wild 5, Stars 1 (Minnesota leads 2-1) | BSSW, TBS |
| Game 4 | Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN | Stars 3, Wild 2 (Series tied 2-2) | BSSW, TBS |
| Game 5 | American Airlines Center, Dallas | Stars 4, Wild 0 (Dallas leads 3-2) | BSSW, TBS |
| Game 6 | Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN | Stars 4, Wild 1 (Dallas wins 4-2) | BSSW, TBS |
*if necessary; All times central.
Season series:
December 4: Minnesota 6, Dallas 5 (SO)
December 29: Dallas 4, Minnesota 1
February 8: Dallas 4, Minnesota 1
February 17: Minnesota 2, Dallas 1 (SO)
Scouting the Wild:
Goalie intrigue: A key question will be how Minnesota coach Dean Evason uses his goalies. There’s veteran Marc-Andre Fleury, then there’s 24-year-old Filip Gustavsson, who’s been one of the league’s hottest goalies since February.
Familiar faces: The North Stars-to-Dallas story isn’t the only piece of lore between these two rival franchises. Stars fans will also see some familiar faces both on the ice and in the front office for the Wild.
Injury update: The Wild was missing a few key pieces for Game 1, but Dallas could enter Wednesday’s matchup with more questions than answers. After taking a big hit Matt Dumba, Joe Pavelski was officially placed in concussion protocol and isn’t traveling with the team on the 2-game trip to Minnesota.
Read more: 5 things Stars fans should know about the first-round series vs. Minnesota
Latest news
— Stars close out Wild in Game 6 with force, showing potential for deep playoff run
— Watch: Stars rookie Wyatt Johnston scores first career NHL playoff goal
— Pete DeBoer: Stars forward Joe Pavelski a ‘game-time decision’ for Game 6 vs. Minnesota
— This is why Stars’ Tyler Seguin says scouting Jake Oettinger is easy
— Stars’ Jake Oettinger made NHL postseason history in Game 5 shutout
— All five games in Stars vs. Wild have been determined by this simple analytic
— Wild’s Dean Evason cites ‘whining’ when discussing Faksa-Foligno collision vs. Stars
— Power play steers Roope Hintz into record book and Stars into control vs. Wild
Twitter: @dmn_stars
