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Minnesota Wild right wing Danila Yurov (22) shoots the puck as Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen (4) defends during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo\/Matt Krohn)<\/p>\n
Matt Krohn\/AP<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Dallas Stars<\/a>\u2019 opponent for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is set.<\/p>\n Starting as soon as April 18, Dallas will face the Minnesota Wild<\/a> in a best-of-seven series to kick off its pursuit of its first Stanley Cup title since 1999.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n While the matchup has been set, home-ice advantage has yet to be determined.<\/p>\n Here are five things to know about Stars-Wild.<\/p>\n A lot and a little history all at once<\/p>\n Despite being rivals for decades, the Stars and Wild have faced off only twice in the playoffs \u2014 in the first rounds in 2016 and 2023. The Stars won both series in six games.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Make Dallas News a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Nevertheless, those series have had memorable moments that reopened old wounds, like when Matt Dumba injured Joe Pavelski<\/a> in the 2023 series after a controversial hit.<\/p>\n The animosity between the teams runs deep and stems from the Minnesota North Stars\u2019 1993 move to Dallas, leaving the State of Hockey without an\u00a0NHL team for seven seasons.<\/p>\n Minnesota is looking to end a lengthy drought<\/p>\n The Wild are playoff regulars, just like the Stars, but haven\u2019t had much success in recent years when getting there.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Minnesota has lost its last eight first-round playoff series, including twice to the Stars in that span. The Wild haven\u2019t reached the second round since 2015. They haven\u2019t made the conference finals since 2002-03.<\/p>\n The Stars, on the other hand, are coming off three consecutive trips to the conference finals. Yet again, they find themselves facing a grueling first-round opponent. Last season, they faced rival Colorado in the first round and went to seven games. The year before that, they faced the defending-champion Vegas Golden Knights and needed seven games to beat them.<\/p>\n Now, they\u2019ll face the third-best team in the West.<\/p>\n Showdown between elite defensemen<\/p>\n Minnesota made its blockbuster move months ahead of this season\u2019s trade deadline, acquiring Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes from Vancouver<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Hughes has recorded 74 points in 71 games this season between Vancouver and Minnesota and averages over 27 minutes of ice time per night. He is again in contention to win the Norris Trophy, awarded to the league\u2019s top defenseman.<\/p>\n Dallas has a superstar defenseman of its own to go head-to-head with Hughes. Miro Heiskanen has 62 points in 75 games this season for the Stars and is averaging over 25 minutes of ice time per night.<\/p>\n He\u2019s also supported by star defensive defenseman Esa Lindell and two-way defenseman Thomas Harley.<\/p>\n Hughes can be an X-factor for Minnesota, so Dallas needs Heiskanen \u2014 and its other defensemen \u2014 to be at their best as well in the series.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Skilled netminders on both sides<\/p>\n Both Dallas and Minnesota have relied on two skilled netminders down the stretch of the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Wild have taken more of a tandem approach, regularly using both\u00a0Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt.<\/p>\n Gustavsson has 28 wins in 48 games, recording a .909 save percentage and 2.59 goals-against average. Wallstedt has 16 wins in 32 starts, recording a .914 save percentage and 2.67 goals-against average.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Expect Gustavsson to start Game 1, but the Wild have another option if needed.<\/p>\n Dallas, on the other hand, will likely ride with Jake Oettinger throughout the playoffs. The netminder has 65 games of playoff experience and has recorded 31 wins in 50 starts with a .900 save percentage and 2.61 goals-against average this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n Backup Casey\u00a0DeSmith has been solid as well, putting up even better numbers \u2014 a .910 save percentage and 2.34 goals-against average. DeSmith, however, has only appeared in five playoff games in his career.<\/p>\n Chance at revenge for Jason Robertson?<\/p>\n Stars forward Jason Robertson can show Wild GM Bill Guerin just how skilled he is.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Guerin snubbed the forward from Team USA\u2019s Olympic roster this year<\/a>, despite leading all Americans in points. The United States went on to win gold without Robertson.<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use<\/a> and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n That gave Robertson extra time to rest and prepare for a deep playoff run. He passed 40 goals for the first time in three seasons, recording 89 points in 77 games.<\/p>\n Robertson\u2019s career playoff numbers (.79 points per game) haven\u2019t been as strong as his regular season numbers (1.07 points per game), but the first-round series against Minnesota is a prime opportunity for him to prove otherwise.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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