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Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Foligno celebrates his goal against the Dallas Stars during the third period of Game 4 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, April 25, 2026, in St. Paul,\u00a0Minn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Matt Krohn\/AP<\/p>\n
ST. PAUL,\u00a0Minn. \u2014 The Stars <\/a>return to Dallas on even footing after splitting with Minnesota at Grand Casino Arena.<\/p>\n The Stars fell 3-2 in overtime<\/a> in Game 4 on Saturday afternoon at Grand Casino Arena in its\u00a0first-round playoff series against the Wild<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Despite holding a 2-1 lead late in regulation, the Wild managed to come back and even the series, ensuring it returns to St. Paul for a Game 6.<\/p>\n Here are five thoughts from the Stars\u2019 Game 4 defeat:<\/p>\n Wild pull off comeback late<\/p>\n The Stars were in control until the final six minutes of regulation.<\/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 Dallas held a 2-1 lead after a pair of power play goals, but the Wild managed to send the game to overtime on a late goal by Marcus\u00a0Foligno with 5:20 remaining.<\/p>\n There, the Wild controlled play for the entire period before Matt\u00a0Boldy deflected in a shot by Jared Spurgeon to win with less than 30 seconds remaining in the first overtime period.<\/p>\n Boldy also put one in the net earlier in the overtime period, but it was called off for illegally kicking the puck into the net.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Stars also had a chance late in regulation to take a 3-1 lead before the Wild tied the score. A loose puck in the crease nearly crossed the goal line before the Wild managed to clear it.<\/p>\n Both games in St. Paul required extra time to decide a winner, and each team managed to earn one win, showing just how tight the margins in the series are.<\/p>\n The 2-2 series tie sets up a critical Game 5 at American Airlines Center at 7\u00a0p.m. Tuesday. Teams that lead 3-2 win the series 79.5% of the time.<\/p>\n The Stars can win the series if they win their last two games on home ice.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Special teams advantage remains in the Stars\u2019 favor\u00a0<\/p>\n Yet again, the Wild had no answer for the Stars on either special teams.<\/p>\n The Stars scored both goals on the power play, going a perfect 2-for-2 with goals from Jason Robertson and\u00a0Miro Heiskanen. Dallas has scored eight power play goals in four games this series.<\/p>\n The Stars\u2019 power play has been patient and poised. Five of their eight goals on the man-advantage were on the road.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Meanwhile, their penalty kill has been just as effective the last two games. Minnesota went\u00a00 for 4 on the power play Saturday after not scoring on its last six power plays in Game 3.<\/p>\n That included consecutive penalties on the Stars in the first period that effectively gave the Wild four straight minutes of power play time.<\/p>\n The Wild were without top-line forward Mats\u00a0Zuccarello, who also plays on Minnesota\u2019s top power play unit, for the third straight game. Since his departure from the series, the Wild haven\u2019t been able to get anything going on the man advantage.\u00a0<\/p>\n The man-advantage has been enough for the Stars to win in their last two games, but it wasn\u2019t Saturday. Dallas will need some 5-on-5 scoring to ensure this series doesn\u2019t slip away.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Jason Robertson scores in fourth straight game<\/p>\n Robertson\u00a0<\/a>has been Dallas\u2019 most consistent player offensively this series, scoring in all four of the Stars\u2019 games.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dating to the end of last season\u2019s playoff run, Robertson has goals in seven straight postseason games for the Stars.<\/p>\n He scored on the Stars\u2019 first power play of the night in the first period, collecting a rebound from Matt\u00a0Duchene and putting the puck in the back of the net.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Despite averaging just .79 points per game in his playoff career ahead of this series, he is averaging 1.5 points and a goal per game this postseason.<\/p>\n Miro Heiskanen responds from fluky goal with goal of his own<\/p>\n The Wild nearly scored twice off\u00a0Heiskanen <\/a>early in Saturday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n Minnesota scored a first-period goal when\u00a0defenseman Brock Faber shot a puck from the point that hit Heiskanen\u2019s glove and awkwardly bounced past Stars goalie Jake Oettinger.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Then, in the second period while on the power play, Minnesota scored when a puck was directed in by\u00a0Heiskanen. But officials called the goal off, saying Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek pushed Heiskanen into the net.<\/p>\n The Stars\u00a0defenseman, who largely couldn\u2019t control either early bounce, scored a redeeming goal in the final minute of the second period, with a snipe from the blue line on the power play to give Dallas a 2-1 lead heading into the third.<\/p>\n Heiskanen, who was questionable ahead of the series with an injury, has four points in four games.<\/p>\n Both goalies tested in another lengthy contest<\/p>\n Oettinger and Jesper Wallstedt both had standout performances in Game 4.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In the overtime period, Minnesota came out hot.<\/p>\n The Wild had several point-blank looks, some into an open net, but\u00a0Oettinger made sprawling save after sprawling save to keep his team in it.<\/p>\n The Stars\u2019\u00a0netminder stopped 40 of 43 shots he faced, including 11 in the overtime period, before the\u00a0Wild ultimately scored.\u00a0<\/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<\/p>\n
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