Stars' ill-fated series vs. Wild felt like one long missed opportunity for team with Cup hopes

Q: What was the outcome of the Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild playoff series?

The Dallas Stars lost the series to the Minnesota Wild, with a final score of 5-2 in Game 6.

Q: Why is the Dallas Stars' playoff exit considered a missed opportunity?

The Stars had a strong lineup and were expected to advance further, making their early exit particularly disappointing for a team with championship aspirations.

Q: How did injuries impact the Dallas Stars during the playoffs?

The Stars faced significant injuries, including a season-ending injury to key player Roope Hintz, which affected their performance in the playoffs.

Q: What did Stars coach Glen Gulutzan say about the team's performance?

Coach Glen Gulutzan acknowledged that the Wild played better in four of the six games, highlighting the team's struggles throughout the series.

Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) congrats Minnesota Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt (30) following their Game 6 loss in a first-round NHL hockey playoff series in St. Paul, Minnesota, April 30, 2026. The Stars lost the game. 5-2, and the series. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News) ST. PAUL, Minn. — Another season passed, and the Stars are still without a Stanley Cup title this century. For a team that’s been a legitimate contender for four seasons now, this spring's exit may be the most difficult to swallow. After three consecutive runs to the Western Conference finals, the Stars thought they had knocked on the door of the Stanley Cup Final enough times to finally break through. With a lineup loaded with superstars — from Jason Robertson, to Wyatt Johnston, to Mikko Rantanen — they felt they had the personnel capable of winning it all.

Minnesota Wild right wing (91) drops to his knees after scoring on Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) during the second period in Game 6 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series in St. Paul, Minnesota, April 30, 2026. Joining in the celebration was Wild center (13) who had an assist on the play. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News) But so did their first-round opponent. In a clash between two of the top-three teams in the West, , winning Game 6 at Grand Casino Arena 5-2 Thursday night. **RELATED: **** The Stars, instead of overcoming the conference final hump, moved backward. Now they’ll watch their top two rivals — Minnesota and — fight for the Central Division's spot in the conference finals that had been consistently theirs. As expected, the mood in the Stars’ locker room postgame was somber and defeated. Reality started to set in for the players who believed they had a team capable of winning it all but, yet again, fell short. “It doesn’t matter when you lose when you have a team that you believe can win,” Stars forward said. “It’s another year gone, and another opportunity where you don’t accomplish your goal, and that’s the worst part for me. We’ve got a really good caliber team, and that’s the hardest thing to swallow right now.” The Stars’ last few seasons have felt like one long missed opportunity. Their first-round series this spring was a microcosm of that. The Stars to set up a chance to clinch on home ice. They had home-ice advantage in a critical Game 5 that often decides a series — and ultimately did in this one. In Thursday’s Game 6, they had a chance to take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission after a late goal by — their first 5-on-5 goal in over 250 minutes — but they squandered that lead 54 seconds later and allowed Minnesota to take momentum into the third. “They played better than us in four of the six games, and that's what it comes to,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. All sorts of excuses can be made for this Stars team. They were set up to fail by a playoff format that pits two of the top three teams in a conference against one another in the first round. They dealt with injuries all season, including four in the playoffs and one to , one of their star players. His March 6 injury ended up being season-ending. But the teams that win are those that can find a way regardless of the adversity. The Wild did, winning the series despite playing three games without top-line forward and a number of other players. They were also without star forward down the stretch of Thursday’s series clincher. Since late in Game 3, Minnesota seemed to want it more. Maybe that wasn’t actually the case, but the Wild looked hungrier on the ice. They looked more desperate to avoid having to fly back to than the Stars did to save their season. The Wild advanced past the first round for the first time since 2015. The Stars lost in the first round for the first time since 2022. Dallas fired coach Pete DeBoer last season after not advancing past the third round. Losing in the first was never an acceptable outcome. “The standard here is Cup or nothing, basically,” Bourque said. “That’s the standard.” The Stars will have to start from scratch again next season to try to get back to where they were a year ago. Some things may look different. While most of the core is locked down for years, will Dallas be able to keep Jason Robertson, who is a restricted free agent? in September if retires? Whichever group of players arrives for training camp in the fall will have a long summer to think about a disappointing year — as well as a renewed sense of urgency that the window to win should still be open. The question is whether they can take advantage of it before it’s too late. “It just goes to show you how hard it is to win,” Gulutzan said. “It's the hardest trophy to win.”