The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild will face off in the first round of the playoffs after splitting their season series 2-2. The Stars finished second in the Central division, while the Wild secured third place.
Dallas Stars face Minnesota Wild in first round after an even season series originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There are two different ways to view the four games the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild have played against each other this year.
While the two teams have split the season series with two wins and losses each, half of the games came before Quinn Hughes was traded to the Wild. Both before and after the trade, the teams have mirrored each other on the ice.
Though the season is not yet over, the playoff position for each team is set, with the Stars taking second place in the Central division with the Wild one spot behind.
The two games played before the Hughes trade, back on Oct. 14, Dallas won 5-2 in its home opener. About two months later, the day before Hughes was traded, Minnesota won by that same score at home.
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The most recent games, taking place in the last month, were each decided by one goal, showing that the teams are closer than ever. It took overtime for Minnesota to win 2-1 on March 21, and Dallas won 5-4 on April 9.
Home ice advantage has been used by each team in the regular season series, and it will be even more important when they face off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Stars will get the first two games at the American Airlines Center, which will be the most important games for either side.
Both teams have seen each other in the playoffs in the past decade, with the most recent bout taking place in 2023 with the Stars winning in six games. It took the same amount of contests for the Stars to advance past the Wild in the 2016 first round.
Minnesota hasn't made it past the first round since the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, while Dallas advanced to the Finals in 2020 and has made it to the Western Conference Finals in each of the last three years, but hasn't even forced a game seven.
The two familiar foes will have their biggest games of the year against each other in what should be another close series.
The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild split their season series, each winning two games.
The Dallas Stars finished in second place in the Central division, while the Minnesota Wild finished in third place.
Half of the games in the season series were played before Quinn Hughes was traded to the Wild, but both teams have performed similarly on the ice before and after the trade.
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