Wild vs. Stars: 5 things you can count on
The Minnesota Wild have returned to the playoffs for the third straight season and this year's run will begin on Monday night when they take on the Dallas Stars.
The Wild enter the series as the third seed in the Central Division and split the four meetings with Dallas this season, but both of Minnesota's wins came via shootout.
With a natural rivalry between the two teams and plenty of questions on the Wild's end here are five things you can count on when the Wild hit the ice for the seven-game series.
The Wild using two goalies
Dean Evason almost exclusively relied on Marc-Andre Fleury during last year's playoff loss to the Blues but things will be different this year as Filip Gustavsson will also see time in net.
Gustavsson is one of the NHL's hottest goaltenders this season, going 22-9-7 with a 2.10 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage. Fleury has also been solid this year with a 24-16-4 record, a 2.85 goals against average and a .908 save percentage.
With Fleury also having the benefit of being a three-time Stanley Cup winner, Evason is in an envious position as he tries to decide on a Game 1 starter.
While he can only start one, the Wild have two solid options as they try to shut down a Dallas offense that ranked seventh in the NHL with 3.43 goals per game.
Jake Oettinger becoming a huge problem for the Wild
What's not envious is the matchup the Wild have on the other end of the ice with Jake Oettinger. The Lakeville native went 37-11-11 for the Stars this season with a 2.37 GAA and .919 save percentage, but he also has a history of elite playoff performances, including a 64-save performance in Game 7 of last year's first-round matchup with the Calgary Flames.
This is a problem for the Wild, who rank 23rd in the NHL with 2.91 goals per game. While Minnesota stepped up while Kirill Kaprizov was injured last month, they have a tendency to let Kaprizov do the heavy lifting.
The good news for Minnesota is that Matt Boldy has scored a career-high 31 goals, including 13 since Mar. 11. Nonetheless, the Wild will need all hands on deck if they want to get to Oettinger.
Brock Faber making an impact on the blue line
The Wild have been tremendous defensively for most of the season but it doesn't mean they haven't shown cracks. Trade deadline acquisition John Klingberg is known more for his prowess on the power play rather than his defensive acumen, and Jon Merrill has struggled as of late, showing plenty of ups and downs throughout the year.
That's where Brock Faber comes in. The centerpiece to the Kevin Fiala trade made his debut in the final two games of the regular season and looked like the player that was one of the top defensemen in the country with the Gophers the past two seasons.
Experience is a major question mark for the 20-year-old but he's the rock-solid defenseman the Wild need at the moment. After spending Saturday's practice skating next to Jake Middleton, Faber looks poised to make his playoff debut and slow down the Stars' high-octane lineup.
The Wild getting exposed in the middle
It seems like the Wild have lacked depth at center for the majority of their existence but it's especially true heading into this series.
The Wild are unlikely to get Joel Eriksson Ek back from a lower-body injury suffered in Pittsburgh on Apr. 6. General manager Bill Guerin told Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic that Eriksson Ek could return if the series goes deep, but even if he does, the Wild still have issues finding out who will fill his role.
Frederick Gaudreau has a new contract extension in hand and the trust of the coaching staff, but Eriksson Ek's ability on the penalty kill as well as the power play will be difficult to replace against a Stars lineup that ranks first in the league with a 54.8 faceoff winning percentage.
With Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, Tyler Seguin and Radek Faksa up the middle, the Stars have a major advantage and could use that to come away with the series victory.
The team that scores first will win the series
There are plenty of juicy storylines in this matchup including the rekindled debate between Kaprizov and Jason Robertson as two of the top goal-scorers in the league, but the real storyline might be which one of them scores first.
The Stars own a 38-9-4 record when they score the first goal of the game while the Wild are 31-7-5 when they score first. On the flip side, Dallas is just 9-12-10 when they allow the goal while Minnesota is 15-18-5.
Even more impressive is that neither team has lost a game in regulation when leading after two periods, with Dallas 31-0-2 and the Wild are 31-0-3.
With more firepower on offense, the edge has to go to the Stars in this series – especially considering the Wild's questions on the blue line and at center. If the Wild can play strong defensively, however, they have a chance to win their first series since 2015.
Prediction: Stars in six games
