Stars' season on the ropes as Wild defense leaves Dallas powerless without the power play

Q: What was the score of the Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild Game 5?

The Dallas Stars lost to the Minnesota Wild 4-2 in Game 5 of the NHL playoffs.

Q: How many games have the Dallas Stars lost in the playoffs so far?

The Dallas Stars have lost three games in the playoffs so far, putting them one game away from elimination.

Q: Who are the key players missing for the Dallas Stars in this series?

The Dallas Stars are missing center Roope Hintz, which has impacted their performance in the series.

Q: What do the Dallas Stars need to improve to avoid elimination?

The Dallas Stars need to enhance their even-strength scoring and overall team contributions to avoid elimination.

Dallas Stars center Matt Duchene (95), center Wyatt Johnston (53) and defenseman Miro Heiskanen (4) leave ice after a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series at American Airlines Center on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Dallas. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News) The last three Dallas Stars’ seasons have ended on May 29 (here against Vegas), June 2 (in Edmonton) and May 29 again last year (here against Edmonton). That final one also ended Pete DeBoer’s time here in Dallas, and nothing quite so drastic awaits Glen Gulutzan. But it’s a shock to everyone invested in this team as an owner, player or fan that the Stars may be finished in April this year.

Dallas Stars center (12) falls to the ice after being checked into the boards by Minnesota Wild center (47) during the second period in Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series game in Dallas, April 28, 2026. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News) ***RELATED:** * The Minnesota Wild played its best game since Game 1 in Tuesday night. It was a dominant performance as, once again, the Stars’ came with the man advantage. They scored a tying goal on a power play (their ninth in five games) and added another late when the teams were playing 4-on-4 and Dallas pulled goalie Jake Oettinger. Technically, that ended the Stars’ streak of not being able to score at even strength at 3 hours, 34 minutes, 32 seconds. Regardless, Dallas is one game away from a first-round elimination and in need of a pair of victories to take another shot at . The Stars have won back-to-back games once in this series (2 and 3), but they’ll be asked to do it the hard way now, winning first in St. Paul Thursday night where Wild fans might just be standing the entire game. As badly as fans up there feel about the Stars and their exodus from Minneapolis last century, they really just want to see their team end a streak of first-round series losses at eight. Minnesota is doing everything possible to make that happen. The Wild blocked more shots, won more face-offs, dealt out more hits and had a huge edge in shots on goal until the Stars reduced the difference in late desperation time Tuesday night. For the five games, Minnesota has outscored Dallas 11-3 when playing 5-on-5. Those numbers would normally indicate that a series is already over. To right the ship and turn the series around, the Stars simply can’t wait for the referee’s arm to go up in the air, signaling another power play chance. “Everyone needs to step up now, your top guys, your bottom guys,’’ Gulutzan said. “If you’re going to win a series or even multiple series, you need all contributors for it, so we need a little bit more from everybody. Give them credit for some of their blocks. We had some looks that they stopped but we also missed the net on some chances.’’ Hard to believe the Stars are five games deep into a playoff run that could be winding down in very short time, and Wyatt Johnston has one point at even strength. has zero points at even strength. The Stars are demonstrating , who will remain inactive for Game 6, but the Wild has done an exemplary job of controlling the puck and reducing chances, especially as this series has gone along. “Probably there’s some quicker puck movement [needed],’’ Rantanen said. “If you move it quick and shoot it quick, then it’s harder to block.’’ Minnesota had 26 blocked shots to the Stars’ nine Tuesday night. “It’s mental toughness from now on. You know your backs are against the wall, it’s pretty simple,’’ Rantanen said. “It’s leave it all out there in Minnesota the next game and see where it takes us. That’s all we can do.’’ From the looks of things, it won’t be enough. No one is asking for Rantanen to produce a hat trick and save a series the way he did in Game 7 against the Avalanche in last year’s first round. Just an even strength goal early in Game 6. Or maybe an even strength assist. Something to alert the Wild that they don’t have this offense completely shut down when it’s not carrying the man advantage. Can Dallas do that? In a turnaround from playoffs past, the guy carrying the team is . He has done that a lot in regular-season play, but his postseason numbers have not measured up the last four years. Robertson, who has five goals in five games, had the Stars’ four-on-four goal Monday that cut the Wild’s lead to 3-2 with 3:21 to play, giving local fans one last chance to shout and hope. But ’s empty-net goal — actually an excellent hard-working shot to get away from Dallas’ pressure — restored the two-goal lead with two minutes left and had Stars’ fans streaming for the exits. The fans plan to be back here Saturday night, ready to believe in this club’s Game 7 magic that produced home-ice wins against , Vegas and Colorado the last three seasons. It should be mentioned that those happened on DeBoer’s watch. Maybe there’s no difference in how the team would play in Game 7 circumstances with Gulutzan in charge. But first the Stars have to find a way to make that happen while the odds are shifting increasingly in Minnesota’s favor.