Game 32 AfterThoughts: From Bad to Hurts

Roope Hintz's health is the big concern after this game

The blue line stopped what Filip Gustavsson couldn’t

Well, the Minnesota Wild have beaten the Dallas Stars in regulation (during the regular season) for the first time in over four years. That head-to-head points streak for Dallas also ended on the same night as the Stars’ own 11-game points streak.

It was bound to happen eventually, and perhaps more bound than ever in a game where the Stars got nearly doubled up in shots and hits, and more than doubled up in power plays and goals—the latter of which is a very important stat. It was, all things considered, a Very Much Not Great Game for Dallas, and it ended on the sourest note imaginable, with Roope Hintz having to be helped off the ice after taking a vicious one-timer to the inside of his right skate.

There was no update on Hintz after the game.

Gulutzan pointed to the neutral zone as the big issue for Dallas in this one, saying that when the Stars did manage to get into the offensive zone, things were closer to equal. But Minnesota drew a lot of momentum from the odd-man rushes they generated throughout the game, and that had players like Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov looking more dangerous than the Stars’ top guys between the blue lines.

And as a result, the Stars just couldn’t get enough time in possession of the puck. Gulutzan also said afterward that the Stars were kind of trending in the direction of having a dud, and that’s what happened tonight.

“When you’re taking on that much water 5-on-5, you’re just not playing well,” Gulutzan said. “A little dip. I think it was a little bit in the making.”

The Minnesota two-man forecheck was noticeable in this one early, but the neutral zone really was the problem portion for Dallas, especially late in the game when they were looking for a goal. Minnesota was able to play a neutral zone trap to limit chances after playing well enough to score three goals at 5-on-5, and that’s a good place to be—especially when the other team doesn’t score a single goal at even-strength.

Still, if you want to draw something hopeful from this game, here are a couple of options for you: the Stars did get a couple of good looks even in that tough-sledding third, with Heiskanen having two nice passes that he just couldn’t put on net. And the Stars did score a third goal in this game, only for the Thrilling Offside Review to negate a gorgeous Wyatt Johnston goal that would’ve given the Stars a 3-1 lead and a ton of momentum.

These Stars are good enough to where they can play a clunker of a game, only to have a couple of their big strengths carry them in spite of their inconsistency. That High-Floor Nature of this team has been noticeable from the beginning of the season, when the Stars beat Winnipeg, Colorado, and Minnesota despite some pretty noticeable hiccups.

The Stars came close to stealing this game, which is absurd, when you look at how shots went down in this one:

That’s a paddlin’, right there. But if the Johnston goal wasn’t called back, who knows how it would’ve ended? That’s how good this team is, even when they’re decidedly not good.

Because it turns out that when you have Jake Oettinger playing as well as he was tonight, and special teams dialed in the way they are right now, you can cover a multitude of sins at 5-on-5 with only staccato heroics from the talent Dallas has. But the Stars just came up one multitude short tonight.

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The Wild came out with purpose right from the start, generating their first of many 2-on-1s. This one, Kolyachonok shut down from his belly, however. The Wild got a couple of dangerous scoring chances for Kaprizov early, one that Oettinger had to stop with his shoulder after a long pass that Heiskanen surprisingly wasn’t able to block, and another on a turnaround play after extended pressure that Oettinger snagged with his glove. It was shaping up to be That Kind of Night right from the get-go.

Shots on goal were 9-0 before the first period was halfway over, and Dallas didn’t look comfortable. But the dependably reckless Ryan Hartman took a needless hook in the offensive zone on Kolyachonok, and the Stars had a power play before they got a shot on goal.

And of course, it was Jason Robertson who scored:

Robertson got a friendly deflection in the process, but they say there’s no such thing as a bad shot on goal, right? Especially if your team doesn’t have any. Anyway, it made 20 goals for Robertson on the year, which is (checks notes) very good.

From there, Dallas looked more at-ease, and I really did wonder if the TV timeout and goal stoppage afforded the Stars’ coaches some time to brief the team on the Wild’s forecheck in order to calm things down. Certainly something improved for a bit, because the Wild wouldn’t get another puck on Oettinger for the next seven minutes. But like the Stars’ own patience earlier, Minnesota’s would likewise pay off.

Matt Boldy got through Thomas Harley with relative ease in the neutral zone, and that created a 2-on-1 out of nowhere that Petrovic frantically defended, blocking the passing lane:

But unfortunately for Dallas, Boldy found an alternate passing lane by shooting it off Oettinger’s lap, as the puck fell perfectly for Eriksson Ek afterwards, and he put it home. (No word on whether Boldy called “bank” beforehand, but with how well he played tonight, it wouldn’t shock me.)

The period ended with Oettinger making a couple more tough saves amid traffic and scrambling, and the Stars probably felt fortunate to get to the intermission tied after being out-shot 14-5 in the first period.

If the first period ended in a siege, the second period started much the same. But the Stars survived some Wild pressure early, and Kyle Capobianco dented the post with a wicked slapshot that rebounded right back out.

After a Matt Duchene high-sticking penalty in the offensive zone (a theme in this one early), the Stars’ own goalposts would get dinged up on the penalty kill. But that was the worst of it, as Oettinger managed to recover for the Stars’ 32nd straight successful penalty kill, including this nice save:

Hey, when you’re hot, you’re hot, and Oettinger stayed that way for a bit, including a 1-on-1 save on a Vladimir Tarasenko backhand attempt after a second uneven shift from the Harley-Petrovic pairing on the night.

But once again, a penalty would lead to a goal for Dallas—only this time, it was a shorthanded one, as Hintz took an interference call by the benches, and a really hardworking and persistent Colin Blackwell/Sam Steel rush while shorthanded forced Gustavsson to cover a puck in his own zone, leading to what turned out to be a critical faceoff.

And that led to Josh Bogorad making a very prescient call. Have a listen:

Dallas would, of course, kill the penalty. Moreover, they would score a third goal, or at least they thought they did. Because after Gustavsson got faked out somethin’ fierce on a Robertson pass to Johnston that the latter easily scored, the Best Rule in the League reared its head, and the goal was called off for being (rather clearly) offside.

Thus, the Wild were able to tie it up late off a faceoff of their own, when Zach Bogosian did his best Heiskanen impression, getting a puck through and over Oettinger’s shoulder to knot things at two goals apiece.

The second period ended with shots on goal just as ugly as they had been after the first: 26-9 in Minnesota’s favor, with the Stars scoring two special teams goals to keep pace.

That set up a third period for all the marbles, which the Stars have generally done well with, this year. Unfortunately, they had to begin the third on another penalty kill after a holding call on Colin Blackwell in the final seconds of the middle frame that seemed marginal at best. But the Stars would kill their 34th, as the penalty kill put up yet another perfect night.

The chances kept coming for Minnesota as the period wore on, however. Shortly after Yurov missed an open net on another 2-on-1, Boldy got back to his old ways (from earlier in the same game) and set up Marcus Johansson with a gorgeous saucer pass that Alex Petrovic couldn’t quite pick out of the air, and it was 3-2:

In the final 10 minutes, the Stars finally cranked up the pressure, with multiple long cycles in the Minnesota zone and more work from defensemen pinching low from the points. Heiskanen did get one great look off a Rantanen pass from behind the net, but he put that one wide.

Minnesota’s two-man forecheck really suffocated Dallas’s breakout as the third ticked away, and the Stars wouldn’t get a real look again until they got an O-zone draw with Oettinger on the bench. And that’s when Heiskanen wound up and fired his second off-target shot of the third period, and the consequence of this one’s being off-target could end up being much more serious than the first, as Roope Hintz needed to be helped off the ice:

Minnesota scored an empty-netter on the back end of that play, and they added a second one into the empty net from 180 feet away as the Stars gamely tried to mount a two-goal comeback in the final 90 seconds with a six-man attack that wasn’t.

All told, the game ended in a 5-2 score that was entirely representative of how well both teams played at even-strength. You can’t win ‘em all, no matter what the Stars have led their fans to believe for most of this season.

ESotG

Lineups

Dallas did this:

Steel-Johnston-Rantanen
Robertson-Hintz-Benn
Bäck-Hryckowian-Bourque
Duchene-Faksa-Blackwell

Lindell-Heiskanen
Harley-Petrovic
Capobianco-Kolyachonok

Oettinger

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Minnesota did thus:

Kaprizov-Yurov-Tarasenko
Johansson-Eriksson Ek-Boldy
Ohgren-Hartman-Trenin
Jones-Sturm-Pitlick

Brodin-Faber
Hunt-Spurgeon
Buium-Bogosian

Gustavsson

AfterThoughts

• By simple deduction, Nils Lundkvist was dealing with an illness today, hence his absence from the lineup. But even without his absence, Gulutzan said this morning that the plan was for Vladislav Kolyachonok to draw back into the lineup, initially for Capobianco, if Lundkvist hadn’t been ill.

  • The fact that Kolyachonok was getting back in regardless after missing just one game is interesting, to me. At the very least, the coaching staff doesn’t see him as a clear tier below Capobianco—and in fact, they might see them as relative equals right now. It’s something to watch, as the Stars don’t technically have to waive either depth defenseman when Lyubushkin comes back, should they want to carry eight defensemen for a bit. Seguin’s LTIR situation gives them plenty of wiggle room until Lian Bichsel gets back in a month or two.

• Kolyachonok certainly helped himself early by blocking a pass on a 2-on-1 with his stick. Nice play, this:

• The broadcast showed this graphic after Robertson’s goal, and man. He’s on one right now.

  

• Sam Steel nearly scored to cap a beautiful setup from Wyatt Johnston (and Mikko Rantanen), but Gustavsson was big enough to keep it out:

• Steel and Blackwell, however, did earn honorary assists on the Heiskanen shorthanded goal, as their dogged pursuit was what set up the faceoff:

• Miro Heiskanen’s skating is something often talked about when it comes to straight lines, but look at how much ground he covers while skating backward, defending this 2-on-1. It’s marvelous, really:

• This was another great night for Mavrik Bourque and Oskar Bäck. They were two of a surprisingly small group of forwards who were matching the intensity of Minnesota’s group on every shift, and winning a lot of puck battles along the walls. I don’t know what a prototypical 2025-26 Third Line is supposed to look like, but the Stars certainly could be icing one that looks much worse.

• Matt Boldy also had an outstanding game for Minnesota, and he probably should’ve scored on this chance that rattled off Oettinger’s mask and the post:

• Gulutzan toyed with the lines a fair bit, and no wonder with the way Dallas was getting outplayed at 5-on-5. Duchene got time with the top line, and Rantanen got double-shifted a few times as well, taking Benn’s place with Robertson and Hintz down the stretch.

• The Harley-Petrovic pairing had a rough night in this one. Harley was making more aggressive plays, which is good to see, but he also got beaten a couple of times in costly ways. As Harley gets back up to speed, you’d expect to see him carrying a pairing with more authority, though.

• To append a further thought about the defense, I wonder what the Stars will do on Saturday if Nils Lundkvist is healthy. Because Vladislav Kolyachonok had another very strong game in this one, playing on a pairing with Capobianco that looked surprisingly dangerous in good ways. To my eyes, he looked every bit like a player you want in the lineup, especially on a night when some of the team doesn’t have its best legs. Good problems to have.

• Tyler Seguin’s 1,000th game ceremony will indeed take place as originally planned before puck drop on Saturday. It is sure to be a memorable moment, but it’s a real bummer that it has to happen under these particular circumstances.