The Minnesota Wild are moving on after toppling one of the Western Conference’s most consistent playoff teams, defeating the Dallas Stars 5–2 in Game 6 on Thursday night at Grand Casino Arena to punch their ticket to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Minnesota ended Dallas’ streak of three consecutive trips to the Western Conference Final and did it by closing strong in front of a roaring home crowd. Quinn Hughes led the charge for the Wild, opening the scoring in the first period before delivering the game-winning goal midway through the third. His second tally came when a shot toward the net deflected off a Stars defender and slipped past Jake Oettinger. Dallas briefly looked ready to force a Game 7 after second-period goals from Wyatt Johnston and Mavrik Bourque gave the Stars a 2–1 advantage. But Minnesota answered before intermission when veteran winger Vladimir Tarasenko buried the equalizer late in the second period on a setup from Yakov Trenin and Hughes, shifting momentum back to the home side. From there, the Wild slammed the door. Matt Boldy added a pair of empty-net goals in the final 1:31 of regulation to turn a tense one-goal game into a convincing final score and send Minnesota into celebration mode. Now the challenge gets even steeper. The Wild will face the league-leading Colorado Avalanche in the second round after Colorado swept the Los Angeles Kings in dominant fashion during the opening round. Minnesota’s victory also serves as redemption after last spring’s first-round exit, when the Wild were eliminated in six games by the Vegas Golden Knights. Here's how The Hockey News saw it. PRE-GAME The Stars made a notable lineup change before puck drop, scratching veteran defenseman Tyler Myers — acquired from the Vancouver Canucks at the trade deadline — and inserting Alex Petrovic into the lineup. FIRST PERIOD Minnesota came out with pace and purpose. Nearly four minutes into the game, Quinn Hughes carried the puck along the blue line with Wyatt Johnston chasing and snapped a quick wrist shot on Jake Oettinger, who made the save. Hughes would not be denied for long. At 6:23, the star defenseman found space again and beat Oettinger over the glove to give the Wild a 1–0 lead and ignite the crowd. Minnesota nearly doubled the advantage at 8:59 when Marcus Foligno stormed in on a 2-on-1 rush, but Oettinger answered with a spectacular stacked-pad save to keep Dallas within one. The game then turned nastier. Marcus Foligno delivered back-to-back crushing hits, first driving Esa Lindell into the boards before leveling Mikko Rantanen moments later. Rantanen dropped to one knee and slowly gathered himself before eventually heading down the tunnel, a concerning sight for Dallas. Late in the period, Petrovic responded with a heavy hit on Nick Foligno near the Wild bench. Foligno appeared shaken up and needed attention from a trainer. Minnesota carried its 1–0 lead into the first intermission after setting a bruising tone. SECOND PERIOD The middle frame opened with controversy. Matt Duchene was called for cross-checking Zach Bogosian, though replay suggested minimal contact. Dallas killed off the penalty, then quickly received a chance of its own when Yakov Trenin was whistled for interference after colliding with Lian Bichsel off the draw. That sequence changed the game. Rantanen returned from the locker room and immediately made an impact, helping set up Wyatt Johnston for a power play goal that tied the game 1–1. Johnston buried a one-timer from the slot as Dallas’ dangerous power play delivered again. Minnesota pushed back midway through the period when Radek Faksa was penalized for holding Jake Middleton. Just over a minute into the man advantage, Mats Zuccarello blasted a shot from the slot that clipped Oettinger’s shoulder and rang off the crossbar. It was the Wild’s best chance of the power play, but Dallas survived. Then came a frantic finish to the period. With under four minutes remaining, Dallas grabbed its first lead of the night. Michael Bunting dumped the puck in deep, Ilya Lyubushkin won the race to it, and quickly fed Mavrik Bourque in front. Bourque pulled Jesper Wallstedt out of position, shifted left, and slid the puck into an open net for a 2–1 Stars lead. Minnesota answered just 54 seconds later. Vladimir Tarasenko scored his first goal of the postseason — and the 50th playoff goal of his career — finishing a broken play from his knees with a brilliant backhand move that fooled Oettinger and tied the game 2–2. After 40 minutes, Game 6 was deadlocked. THIRD PERIOD Minnesota suffered an early scare when Joel Eriksson Ek lost an edge while forechecking and slammed hard into the boards. He was slow to get up and needed help off the ice with what appeared to be a lower-body injury. Thankfully, Eriksson Ek didn't spend a lot of time in the dressing room and eventually returned to the game. Both teams then exchanged penalties in a tense stretch. Mikko Rantanen was sent off for roughing after catching Kirill Kaprizov up high, while Ryan Hartman was called for hooking Radek Faksa during a Wild power play. Neither side converted, setting the stage for the decisive moment. With 9:22 remaining, Hughes struck again. Given time and space, Hughes sent a dangerous puck toward the net that deflected off Ilya Lyubushkin’s skate and past Oettinger, restoring the Wild lead at 3–2 and sending the building into a frenzy. Dallas pulled Oettinger with just under three minutes remaining in a final push to extend its season, but Matt Boldy buried two empty-net goals to seal the win and close out the series. FINAL THOUGHTS Minnesota’s stars delivered when it mattered most. Hughes scored twice, Boldy finished it late, and Tarasenko provided a timely veteran moment. Oettinger kept Dallas alive for stretches, but the Wild were the sharper, heavier, and more opportunistic team over the final 60 minutes. Now comes the next challenge: a second-round showdown with the Colorado Avalanche.
