Defense defeats Dallas as Wild move one win from advancing

But the Wild’s power play, which had struggled in the previous three games, appeared to give Minnesota the lead back with 12.9 seconds left in the first, when Boldy went hard to the net front and the puck slid past Oettinger. Dallas challenged for goalie interference and after a review, the goal came off the board, leaving the teams tied 1-1 after 20 minutes.

Dallas got another power play early in the middle frame, but this time Minnesota held them off the board, thanks in part to a pair of Wallstedt saves. The Stars killed another penalty in the second — the Wild’s 12th consecutive fruitless power play — but that streak ended with 31.4 seconds left in the period when Boldy put a shot through traffic and gave the Wild their second lead of the game.

It took Dallas nearly seven minutes in the third to get a shot on Wallstedt, but the Wild scored on their first shot of the period. McCarron, acquired at the deadline for his size, cut to the net and slipped the puck between Oettinger’s knees.

With more than five minutes to play and a player from each team in the penalty box, Dallas pulled Oettinger for an extra attacker and got back within a goal when Jason Robertson scored his fifth goal in as many games. But with Oettinger back on the bench, Kaprizov backhanded a shot into the empty net.

The Wild played the last 38 minutes of regulation with five defenseman because Jonas Brodin was injured after blocking a shot early in the second period and did not return.

Briefly

The Wild did some line juggling to accommodate the return of Trenin and Zuccarello, including a healthy scratch for rookie forward Danila Yurov for the first time in the playoffs. Dallas played without defenseman Nils Lundkvist, who suffered a deep cut on his cheek in Game 4 when Wild forward Michael McCarron’s skate cut him after both players fell to the ice. Dallas lost center Arttu Hyry during the game to a lower body injury. He did not return after leaving the bench in the second period.

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