The Dallas Stars face the Minnesota Wild in Game Three with the series tied up at one win apiece. The Stars lost the first game in overtime but bounced back with a dominant 7-3 win in Game Two to even up the series. The Wild meanwhile lost Game Two in a blowout but hope to take control of the series with the next two games being on their home ice. With the series tied, the next game is a crucial one that will likely decide which team will advance to the next round.
After only scoring two goals in the first game of the series, the Stars came to life offensively, scoring seven goals in the dominant victory. Roope Hintz, Jamie Benn, and Jason Robertson have scored six goals and five assists in the series to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has stepped up as well. Evgenii Dadonov, Tyler Seguin, and Wyatt Johnston have combined for three goals and an assist while defenseman Miro Heiskanen has added five assists from the point to help open up the offense.
The offense has been great but the defense has struggled, allowing six goals in the first two games of the series. Miro Heiskanen and Ryan Suter have led the top pairing but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing the Wild to create plenty of scoring chances. The bright spot has been the play of goaltender Jake Oettinger who has saved 68 of the 74 shots in this series.