3 Keys: Stars at Wild, Game 6 of Western 1st Round

(C2) Stars at (C3) Wild
Western Conference First Round, Game 6
Stars lead best-of-7 series 3-2
9:30 p.m. ET (TBS, SN360, TVAS2, BSN, BSWIX, BSSW)

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild will try to stave off elimination when they play the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference First Round at Xcel Energy Center on Friday.
The Wild split their first two games at home against the Stars, winning 5-1 in Game 3 before losing 3-2 in Game 4.
"I think we're ready for it," Wild forward Marcus Johansson said Thursday. "We win one game at home, we play like we have been 5-on-5, we score a few more goals, we're going to be in a good place I think. ... And then it's Game 7. One game at a time here and I feel like we're going to play like we have 5-on-5, and like I said, get a few more bodies to the net and score a few more goals. But it's going to be fun."
Wild forward Mats Zuccarello did not practice Thursday and did not skate Friday. He will be a game-time decision.
RELATED: [Complete Stars vs. Wild series coverage]
"We think everyone's available, but you never know, right?" Wild coach Dean Evason said Friday. "Going through the process here today and we'll know our lineup after warmup."
Minnesota has forced Game 7 four times in its history, winning Game 6 on home ice each time: the Western Conference quarterfinals and semifinals in 2003, the first round in 2014 and first round in 2021.
The Wild are 3-5 (.375) overall and 3-3 (.500) when starting on the road when trailing 3-2 in a series. The Stars are 17-3 (.850) overall and 9-1 (.900) when starting at home when leading a series 3-2.
Here are 3 keys for Game 6:

1. Seizing the opportunity

The Stars recognize they have the chance to close the series Friday. They've got a Game 7 at home Sunday, if necessary, but they'd like to finish now.
"This is exactly where we want to be. We have a great opportunity to end their season and move on," Stars goalie Jake Oettinger said Thursday. "It's nice getting up 3-2 like this. It's not a must-win game for us so we feel we can just lay it on the line. We have nothing to lose. Every guy should just be trying to enjoy it and have fun and it's probably going to be the hardest win of the year."

2. Converting on the kill

The Wild improving their penalty kill remains crucial. It's at 59.1 percent in the series, 14th among the 16 Stanley Cup Playoff teams, ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights (58.3 percent) and the Los Angeles Kings (42.9 percent).
"I think it's about maybe giving them a little less time, be more aggressive," Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon said. "Block shots, get back to basics."

3. Containing Kaprizov

The Stars have done a good job of keeping Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov from being a huge threat thus far in the series; he has one goal in five games.
They know they'll have to do it at least one more game to advance, but they're ready for the challenge.
"Kaprizov is a great player obviously and it's always a good challenge to play against those guys and try to be at our best and try to shut him down and play well against him," Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen said Friday. "It's always nice to play against those guys. It's not easy. You have to be at your best. It's a good challenge every time."

Stars projected lineup

Jason Robertson -- Roope Hintz -- Tyler Seguin
Jamie Benn -- Wyatt Johnston -- Evgenii Dadonov
Mason Marchment -- Max Domi -- Ty Dellandrea
Joel Kiviranta -- Radek Faksa -- Luke Glendening
Ryan Suter -- Miro Heiskanen
Esa Lindell --
Jani Hakanpaa
Thomas Harley -- Colin Miller
Jake Oettinger
Scott Wedgewood
Scratched:Joel Hanley, Nils Lundkvist, Fredrik Olofsson
Injured:Joe Pavelski (concussion)

Wild projected lineup

Kirill Kaprizov -- Ryan Hartman -- Marcus Johansson
Gustav Nyquist -- Frederick Gaudreau -- Matt Boldy
Marcus Foligno -- Sam Steel -- Oskar Sundqvist
Brandon Duhaime -- Connor Dewar -- Ryan Reaves
Jake Middleton -- Jared Spurgeon
Jonas Brodin -- Mathew Dumba
John Klingberg -- Brock Faber
Filip Gustavsson
Marc-Andre Fleury
Scratched:Jon Merrill, Alex Goligoski, Calen Addison
Injured:Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body), Mats Zuccarello (undisclosed)

Status report

Pavelski participated in the morning skate and will be a game-time decision. The forward has been out since being injured during Game 1. … If Zuccarello can't play, it's likely Sundqvist could replace the forward after being scratched the past four games.
NHL.com independent correspondent Jessi Pierce contributed to this report