The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild are headed for a clash in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. But if you think you know whether the Stars or Wild will have an edge over the other, you should think again.
It’s been clear for a while now – the Central Division’s Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild are headed for a first-round showdown in the 2025-26 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Barring some unforeseen, complete collapse of the first-place Colorado Avalanche, the Stars and Wild will be going head-to-head in the opening round of this year’s post-season. Minnesota is more or less locked into third place in the division, as they have 12 more points than the fourth-place Utah Mammoth.
The Stars have six more points than the Wild, with Dallas also being six points behind the Avalanche. So Dallas is most likely to finish second and secure home-ice advantage against Minnesota.
But it’s becoming harder to see the Stars as the favorites to beat the Wild. In fact, it’s getting harder to see either side as the odds-on favorite to win.
For one thing, Dallas is going through one of its toughest stretches of the season, losing six of its past eight games, including four regulation-time losses. Then there’s the fact Minnesota beat Dallas 2-1 in overtime in a March 21 game. And the fact that both teams had a 1-1-1 record against each other this year speaks to how good each team can be.
Minnesota travels to Dallas on April 9 for their final regular-season game this year, but it would be folly to assume the Wild now has the advantage over the Stars.
That’s because, immediately prior to their current skid, the Stars were the NHL’s hottest team from the third week of January through mid-March, going 14-0-1 in that span. How can you bet against a group that can raise their game to that level?
Ultimately, the winner of a Stars/Wild series will probably come down to which team is thriving by the end of the regular season. So the next week-and-a-half will be of massive importance to both sides.
If Dallas can shake off what currently ails them – their offense, which has produced two goals or fewer in four of their past six losses – the Stars are going to be a handful for Minnesota.
Perhaps the Wild will benefit from being a slight underdog. Minnesota hasn’t made it out of the first round since the 2014-15 season, and the Stars have won their first-round series in five of their past six playoff appearances. Will Dallas’ edge in playoff experience be what delivers them to the second round?
You can see why it’s foolish to presume the Stars or Wild are a lock to win their series. You can’t even say Dallas will win because of home-ice advantage; the Stars indeed have a 23-10-4 home record thus far this year, but Minnesota has a 21-11-4 road record.
And neither team’s offense nor defense is considerably better, as Dallas has only 11 more goals than the Wild, while the Stars have only nine fewer goals allowed than Minnesota.
The Wild have a game in hand on Dallas, and maybe that’s something that gets Minnesota second place in the Central. But a Wild/Stars series will be one for the ages, regardless of which side wins. Two of the league’s top three teams are about to battle to get beyond the first round, and the stakes couldn’t be much higher.
That’s about to make for must-see TV.
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