The First Round series between the Minnesota Wild and the Dallas Stars is already shaping up to be a classic. The Wild were trailing in the third period of Game One but battled back to win 3-2 in double overtime to take the early series lead. The Stars meanwhile hope to bounce back in Game Two and avoid falling behind two games as the series shifts to Minnesota. After a thrilling Game One that went late into the night, all signs point to a great game and a memorable series ahead.
The Wild were down in the third period 2-1 but a goal with only seven minutes left in regulation forced overtime and they managed to come away with a crucial upset win in Game One. The hope is that the offense can improve after scoring only three goals in the game and two in regulation. While Kirill Kaprizov, Ryan Hartman, and Sam Steel combined for three goals and an assist to lead the top two lines, the rest of the offense struggled. The hope is that Matt Boldy and Mats Zuccarello can step up as they play a pivotal role in the forward unit but only combined for one assist in Game One.
The offense struggled but the defense, which allowed only 2.67 goals per game this season, carried the Wild to the victory, allowing only two goals in the game. Mathew Dumba and Jonas Brodin led the top pairing with a combined 76:56 ice time and six blocked shots but the entire unit stepped up with Jared Spurgeon, Ja cob Middleton, and rookie Brock Faber creating turnovers in the defensive zone and disputing shooting lanes for the Stars offense. Moreover, goaltender Filip Gustavsson was remarkable in the net saving 51 of the 53 shots he faced.