Stars aim to break road streak, relying on top lines while Wild seek Boldy's offensive spark in pivotal Game 3.
After bouncing back for a massive Game 2 win, the Dallas Stars are on the road Wednesday for Game 3 versus the Minnesota Wild. During the season series, the home team claimed all four of the matchups with Minnesota's Game 1 win in Dallas breaking the streak.
That being said, it still means the Stars haven't won a road game versus the Wild since November of 2024 as they've lost three straight games at Grand Casino arena heading into Wednesday.
Over the past four seasons, the Stars have gone 3–1 in Game 3 matchups, with all four of those contests coming on the road. Their only setback in that stretch came against Minnesota during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, a series in which Dallas also dropped Game 1 before ultimately rallying to win in six games.
In Monday’s Game 2 win, Dallas saw its top two lines take control offensively. The first line of Wyatt Johnston and Mikko Rantanen powered the attack, combining for a pair of Johnston goals, while Justin Hryckowian was a constant thorn in the side of the Wild.
The second line, featuring Jason Robertson and Matt Duchene, also found its rhythm, with both players finishing plays and contributing key goals to round out a balanced offensive effort.
A quieter but notable moment came from fourth-liner Oskar Bäck, who picked up an assist on Johnston’s first goal and the Stars will be hoping for continued contributions from their bottom six as the series shifts to a pivotal Game 3.
On the other side, Matt Boldy was held off the scoresheet in Game 2 after a strong regular season in which he posted 85 points in 76 games. Minnesota will be looking for a response from one of its top offensive threats, and Dallas’ blue line will need to be ready for a more dangerous version of him in the next matchup.
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Dallas Stars’ Expected Line Combinations vs. Minnesota (Game 3)
Hryckowian - Johnston - Rantanen
Robertson - Duchene - Bourque
Steel - Hyry - Benn
Back - Faksa - Blackwell
Lindell - Heiskanen
Harley - Lundkvist
Bichsel - Myers
Oettinger
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