Stars Stumble In Game 1

DALLAS — The Minnesota Wild arrived in Dallas with a chip on their shoulder and left American Airlines Center with a resounding statement. Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek each finished with two goals and an assist as the Wild dismantled the Dallas Stars 6-1 in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round on Saturday.

The Wild, who have been seeking their first playoff series victory since 2015 after falling in the opening round eight consecutive times, showed none of that baggage on this afternoon. Instead, Minnesota controlled the game from start to finish, winning the battles along the boards, thriving on special teams, and getting a stellar performance from an unlikely source between the pipes.

Rookie netminder Jesper Wallstedt, who got the nod over veteran Filip Gustavsson, made 27 saves in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut. The 22-year-old handled a hostile road environment with poise beyond his years.

“I was definitely nervous,” Wallstedt said afterward. “I think it shows that it means something to you. I like a little bit of nerves. But after the national anthem was over and the first couple pucks started coming, you’re good.”

DALLAS, TX – APRIL 18: Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) gives up a goal during the Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round game 1 between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild on April 18, 2026 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. (Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire)

Minnesota wasted little time establishing the tone. Eriksson Ek opened the scoring at 5:35 of the first period on the power play, finishing a tic-tac-toe passing sequence involving Zuccarello and Boldy, who found an open Eriksson Ek with a touch pass from the goal line. The veteran center buried a one-timer from the left hash marks.

The floodgates opened in earnest during a dominant second period that saw the Wild tally three more goals in the first 6:30 of the frame. Kaprizov made it 2-0 just 56 seconds into the middle stanza, shooting over Jake Oettinger’s left shoulder from the right face-off circle off a cross-ice feed from Hartman.

Brock Faber then let a shot go from just above the left circle, and Hartman deflected the puck in front to push the lead to 3-0 at 3:28. Boldy added the fourth goal at 6:30, tapping in a loose puck from the side of the net.

The Stars managed a brief response when Jason Robertson backhanded a power-play goal at 15:10 of the second period to cut the deficit to 4-1. But the comeback attempt went no further.

Eriksson Ek completed a two-goal night with his second power-play tally at 8:13 of the third period, receiving a no-look pass from Kaprizov and scoring from low in the left circle to make it 5-1. Boldy then capped the scoring with an empty-net goal at 16:52.

Kaprizov, who added two assists, scored his 16th career playoff goal, tying Zach Parise for the most in Wild franchise history. It also represented the third game-winning playoff goal of his career, tying Nino Niederreiter for the most in Minnesota history.

Zuccarello, who was held off the scoresheet in goals but distributed the puck with precision all night, summed up the performance succinctly: “Special teams came up huge and Wallstedt came up huge, and we got some timely goals. It’s always nice to get the first win and start on a good note.”

For the Stars, the afternoon raised immediate questions about their physical compete level. Dallas, the No. 2 seed and pre-series favorite, was outworked in most one-on-one situations, and their penalty kill surrendered two of Minnesota’s three power-play opportunities.

“It wasn’t fundamental breakdowns,” Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan said. “For me, it was battles. We didn’t win anything. When you’re not winning anything, you’re not winning your races, you put yourself at risk for what happened.”

Oettinger, who finished with 23 saves, was philosophical about the defeat. “I don’t think we played our best game, but we’ve played a lot of playoff series and lost a lot of Game 1s, so I feel like we know what we need to do next game,” the Dallas starter said.

Dallas was also dealing with injury concerns, as star defenseman Miro Heiskanen returned after missing three games with an upper-body injury. He logged 23:55 of ice time but finished minus-1.

Mikko Rantanen, who led the Stars with 96 points during the regular season, acknowledged the wake-up call. “We didn’t deserve to win,” he said. “Playoffs are like this. Sometimes you lose a game. You’ve got to reset and learn from mistakes.”

Wild head coach John Hynes kept his message measured despite the lopsided result. “We won and they lost. It’s not so much being satisfied,” Hynes said. “We need to continue to find ways to get better.”

Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Monday at American Airlines Center, with the puck dropping at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Dallas will look to even the series in front of its home crowd, while Minnesota will attempt to seize a two-game advantage and, perhaps, make a deeper postseason statement than the organization has managed in over a decade.

Series: Minnesota Wild leads, 1-0

BOX SCORE

SCORING SUMMARY

Period	Time	Team	Goal	Assist(s)	Type
1st	5:35	MIN	Joel Eriksson Ek (1)	Mats Zuccarello, Matt Boldy	PP
2nd	0:56	MIN	Kirill Kaprizov (1)	Ryan Hartman	EV
2nd	3:28	MIN	Ryan Hartman (1)	Brock Faber	EV
2nd	6:30	MIN	Matt Boldy (1)	—	EV
2nd	15:10	DAL	Jason Robertson (1)	—	PP
3rd	8:13	MIN	Joel Eriksson Ek (2)	Kirill Kaprizov	PP
3rd	16:52	MIN	Matt Boldy (2)	—	EN