Stars aim for a 3-1 series lead, but can their potent offense break through Minnesota's stingy defense and Quinn Hughes?
On Saturday, the Dallas Stars will try to carry momentum from their dominant Game 3 win on Wednesday, a result that improved their Game 3 record to 4–1 across their last five opening-round series.
Heading into Game 4, Dallas is aiming to seize a 3–1 series advantage, though their recent Game 4 performances have been more mixed, with a 2–2 record over their last four first-round matchups.
In their 2023 series against Minnesota, the Stars lost Game 3 but responded with a Game 4 victory to even the series. This time, the Wild may be looking to flip that script and bounce back to tie things up.
Dallas proved its ability to perform on the road in that 2023 matchup, winning two consecutive away games as part of a three-game winning streak that secured the series in six games.
Wednesday’s win in Minnesota also marked Dallas’ first victory there since November 2024, snapping a three-game home winning streak by the Wild against them. Before that stretch, however, the Stars had won five straight road games in Minnesota and will be looking to regain that level of success away from home.
Dallas’ top six forwards have been especially dangerous lately. Top liners Wyatt Johnston and Mikko Rantanen have combined for four goals through the first three games of the series, while Jason Robertson and Matt Duchene have quickly developed strong chemistry, contributing five goals over that same stretch.
They’ll look to keep that momentum going against Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes, who has been outstanding defensively. Hughes has recorded four assists in the first three games and boasts an impressive five-on-five goal differential of six goals for and none against. If Dallas wants to stay in control of the series, they’ll need to find a way to break through against him.
Make Sure You Bookmark THN's Dallas Stars Site For The Latest News, Exclusive Interviews, Breakdowns, And So Much More.
Dallas Stars’ Expected Line Combinations vs. Minnesota (Game 4)
Hryckowian - Johnston - Rantanen
Robertson - Duchene - Bourque
Steel - Hyry - Benn
Back - Faksa - Blackwell
Lindell - Heiskanen
Harley - Lundkvist
Bichsel - Myers
Oettinger
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.