Stars-Wild national predictions: Who comes out on top in 'dead-even' first-round matchup?

**Prediction:** Dallas wins series **Comment:** "[Kirill] Kaprizov, [Quinn] Hughes and [Matt] Boldy are game-breaking talents who’d be enough to push Minnesota past plenty of opponents, but Dallas has top-end players who provide a counterbalance along with superior depth. That gives the Stars the edge in a tight series that, no matter what, should be taking place sometime next month." ***RELATED:** As Stars prep for daunting slate, NHL playoff format's flaws feel especially pronounced*

CBS Sports

**Prediction:** Dallas wins in 7 games **Comment:** "This is a coin-flip matchup between two legit contenders. Dallas made it to the Western Conference Final in each of the past three seasons, and I value playoff experience, especially in the early rounds. I'm giving them the slight edge because of that."

Daily Faceoff

**Prediction:** Minnesota wins in 6 games **Comment:** "Even if [Miro] Heiskanen is close to 100% by this weekend, many of the finer details of this seemingly dead-even matchup point to the Wild; they’re meaner on the forecheck, they’re healthier from top to bottom, and they’ve had an easier time working deadline additions into their lineup. Look for Minnesota to finally break through without leaving the door open for any more Game 7 magic."

SportsNet

**Prediction:** Dallas wins in 6 games **Comment:** "As much as I love Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes, they’re all going to have to be awesome, because I’m just not sure the Wild are strong enough down the middle. They’re loaded, and a great team, and it’s a shame this series has to happen in Round 1. But with both teams having capable goaltending and some great D, it could be at centre – Ryan Hartman, Joel Eriksson Ek, Danila Yurov, and Michael McCarron – where the Wild lose some ground. This is why Hintz’s return time matters, as Johnston, Hintz, Duchene and Faksa is an advantage. But without him, it’s pretty dead even."

The Dallas Morning News

**Prediction:** Dallas wins in 7 games **Lia Assimakopoulos:** I anticipate the Stars' first-round matchup against the Wild to be just as grueling as their last two first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights. Those series both went to seven games, so why not another? These two teams are as evenly matched as they could be. Where the Stars have a slight edge, injuries could hurt them. Still, I think Dallas will barely do enough to survive and earn a rematch with Colorado. *See The News' full Stars predictions here.*