Ryan O’Hara

RyanOHara@THNN

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Seven-time award-winning sportswriter based in Denver.

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Wild Dominate Stars in Game 5, Push Dallas to Brink

Minnesota reduced Dallas to a power play dependent bystander Tuesday night, controlling nearly every meaningful stretch of a 4-2 Game 5 victory at American Airlines Center and pushing the Stars to the edge of elimination. For long portions of the night, the Stars looked less like a contender protecting home ice and more like a team waiting for a whistle to rescue it. Minnesota owned the pace, won the heavier areas of the game, and repeatedly turned Dallas possessions into one-and-done sequences. At five-on-five, the Wild were faster to loose pucks, cleaner through the neutral zone, and far more purposeful once they entered the offensive end. Dallas did find life on the man advantage — again. A power play goal pulled the game level, continuing a series trend in which special teams have masked broader problems. Later, with the Stars pressing during late chaos and goaltender Jake Oettinger pulled, they added another during four-on-four play. Officially, it snapped a remarkable stretch in which Dallas had gone 3 hours, 34 minutes, 32 seconds without an even-strength goal. Unofficially, it did little to change what the eye test had already made obvious: Minnesota has smothered this offense when teams are skating five aside. Across five games, the Wild have outscored the Stars 11-3 at even strength. Numbers like that usually belong to a finished series. Dallas now has one game to prove this one is not. Minnesota Winning Every Honest Part of the Game The Wild blocked 26 shots to Dallas’ nine, won more faceoffs, delivered more hits, and carried a significant shots advantage until desperation time inflated the Stars’ totals late. They were disciplined in structure and relentless in effort, the kind of road performance that leaves little room for complaints afterward. “Everyone needs to step up now, your top guys, your bottom guys,’’ head coach Glen Gulutzan told reporters. “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.’’ That is the central issue now. Dallas is five games into a series that may end Thursday, and too many pillars of its attack remain quiet at five-on-five. Wyatt Johnston has managed one even-strength point. Mikko Rantanen has none. With Roope Hintz expected to remain out for Game 6, the Stars have lacked the middle-ice support and transition thrust that normally make them dangerous. Rantanen pointed to quicker puck movement as a solution, noting that faster decisions would make Minnesota’s shot-blocking structure harder to sustain. He is right, but the challenge is no longer tactical alone. It is emotional now, too. One Last Trip North Dallas must win in St. Paul, where the building is likely to be unhinged from puck drop and where Wild fans sense not only a rival on the ropes, but an end to years of first-round frustration. Minnesota has lost eight straight opening-round series. One more victory buries that history and deepens Dallas’ own. The Stars can still force a Game 7, and they still have recent memory on their side there. Home wins in deciding games against Seattle, Vegas, and Colorado over the last three postseasons are not ancient history. But that possibility remains theoretical until Dallas solves the more immediate problem in front of it. It needs an even-strength answer. An early one. A sign that this lineup still has another layer to give beyond waiting for an official’s arm to rise. Because if Tuesday was any indication, Minnesota has already learned exactly how to beat them.3mo

Dallas Stars

Wyatt Johnston Wins It in 2OT as Stars Outlast Wild in Game 3 Thriller

If Game 3 proved anything, it’s that postseason hockey doesn’t just test endurance—it exposes nerve. Wyatt Johnston delivered the dagger 12:10 into double overtime, redirecting a point shot from Miro Heiskanen to lift the Dallas Stars to a dramatic 4–3 victory over the Minnesota Wild in Game 3 of their Western Conference First Round clash Wednesday night. The finish was fittingly chaotic. Johnston—who paced the league with 27 power-play goals during the regular season—found open ice in the slot and got just enough of Heiskanen’s shot to change its path, slipping it past a helpless Jesper Wallstedt and silencing the building in an instant. Stars’ Power Play Delivers When It Matters Most Dallas didn’t just survive this one—they leaned into their stars to drag them across the line. Matt Duchene orchestrated the offense with a four-point night, while Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen each contributed a goal and an assist. In net, Jake Oettinger turned aside 28 shots, steady if not spectacular, as the Stars grabbed a 2–1 series lead. Game 4 now looms Saturday, again on Minnesota ice. The opening period suggested Dallas might run away with it. Their power play struck early—Robertson carried the puck over the line with patience, drawing defenders before threading a pass to Rantanen, who slipped behind coverage and redirected it home for a 1–0 lead. Later, Robertson doubled the advantage himself, beating Wallstedt clean from the right circle with a quick release that found daylight under the glove. Wild Push Back, But Dallas Wins War of Attrition But Minnesota refused to fold. Marcus Johansson cut into the deficit late in the first, wiring a shot through traffic that pinballed off bodies and into the net. The equalizer came courtesy of Joel Eriksson Ek, who finished off a relentless individual effort from Matt Boldy—a sequence that saw Boldy fight through multiple defenders before slipping a perfect feed into the slot. Then came a moment years in the making. Michael McCarron, playing his first postseason run in nearly a decade-long NHL career, gave the Wild their first lead late in the second. His shot from the top of the circle found twine just seconds after Minnesota killed off a lengthy Dallas power play, including a tense 5-on-3 stretch. It felt like a turning point. It wasn’t. Duchene answered in the third, snapping home a power-play goal from a sharp angle to tie the game 3–3 and reset the tension. From there, both teams traded chances, bodies, and momentum swings deep into the night—Dallas finishing 3-for-8 on the man advantage, Minnesota 1-for-7—until Johnston finally settled it. Two overtimes. One mistake. One touch. And now, a series that suddenly runs through Dallas’ grip.4mo

Dallas Stars

Wyatt Johnston Clinches Shootout Victory As Stars Reach 50 Wins In Buffalo

The Dallas Stars closed out their regular season on a high note Wednesday night, outlasting the Buffalo Sabres 4–3 in a shootout at KeyBank Center. Wyatt Johnston buried the decisive goal in the fourth round of the tiebreaker, sealing Dallas’ fifth straight victory and capping a late-season surge that carried them to the 50-win mark. Esa Lindell and Justin Hryckowian each finished with a goal and an assist, while Jake Oettinger provided stability in net with 21 saves. The result moved the Stars to 50–20–12 and secured second place in the Central Division. With that finish, Dallas now turns its attention to a first-round playoff meeting with the Minnesota Wild. Buffalo ended its regular season at 50–23–9, seeing a four-game winning streak come to an end. Zach Benson posted a goal and an assist, Owen Power added two helpers, and Colten Ellis made 25 saves in the loss. Even so, the Sabres locked up the Atlantic Division title and will open the postseason against the Boston Bruins. What Happened Dallas opened the scoring when Mavrik Bourque finished at the net front after Esa Lindell’s point shot created a chaotic rebound in the crease. Buffalo answered later in the first period when Josh Norris converted on a rush chance set up by Zach Benson, firing a wrist shot past Oettinger to level the game. The Sabres seized momentum early in the second period with a shorthanded breakaway finish from Benson, who capitalized after a strong defensive read and quick outlet from Tyson Kozak. Dallas responded on the power play when Lindell’s attempted pass redirected off a defender and into the net, bringing the game back to even. Buffalo regained the lead midway through the period on a landmark goal from Alex Tuch, who scored the 200th of his NHL career with a sharp-angle finish from the goal line. Dallas answered once again as Justin Hryckowian jumped on a turnover in the neutral zone and converted on a 2-on-1 rush with Jamie Benn, tying the game 3–3 heading into the final stretch. Johnston Delivers Late As Stars Finish Strong Neither team found a winner in overtime, sending the game to a shootout where both sides traded goals deep into the sequence. Johnston eventually settled it in the fourth round, finishing cleanly to secure the extra point for Dallas. The victory marked the Stars’ third straight 50-win season, the longest such stretch in franchise history, underscoring the consistency of their core as the playoffs approach. Forward Sam Steel also returned to the lineup after a nine-game absence, adding depth in his first game back. For Buffalo, the loss did little to overshadow a breakout regular season defined by growth from its young core. Benson’s multi-point night pushed him to the 100-point milestone, placing him among the youngest players in franchise history to reach that mark. The Sabres head into the postseason with momentum and a division title, despite the shootout setback.4mo

Dallas Stars