DAL MIN lookahead

The Dallas Stars will play the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Stars (47-21-14) finished second in the Central Division. The Wild (46-25-11) finished third, two points behind the Stars.
Game 1 will be played at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN360, TVAS2).
"They're obviously a great team, but at the end of the day, I think we have what it takes to beat anyone," Dallas forward Wyatt Johnston said. "I think if we play the way we're capable of, I think we're going to win the Stanley Cup. At the end of the day, I don't think it really matters who we're playing, I think it's most important to focus on what we can control, doing what we can do. I have no doubt we can beat anyone if we play the way I know we can play."
The Stars are in the postseason for the second straight season and fourth time in five seasons.
The Wild are in the playoffs for the fourth straight season and 10th time in the past 11 seasons. They have not won a series since 2015.
The teams split the four games against each other this season, the Stars winning 4-1 at Minnesota on Dec. 29 and 4-1 at home on Feb. 8. The Wild won 6-5 in a shootout in Dallas on Dec. 4 and 2-1 in a shootout at home on Feb. 17.
"I think the regular season probably told the story," Stars coach Peter DeBoer said. "Four really close games, couple of overtime games. Not a lot of room, physical. I think that's going to be the story of the series. How do you match up? The playoffs are always a new season. You can learn from the tape and what you know about the teams, but it's a different season. You can't hang your hat on any of the things that have either gone well or poorly during the regular season against teams in these situations."
Forward Roope Hintz led the Stars with seven points (four goals, three assists), and forward Jason Robertson had five points (one goal, four assists).
Jake Oettinger was 2-0-1 with a .937 save percentage and 1.87 goals-against average, and Scott Wedgewood was 0-0-1 with a .933 save percentage and 2.41 GAA.
"You kind of know what to expect," Robertson said. "Physical, fast. It's a divisional opponent so it's definitely someone you're really familiar with, so we should not be surprised by how much they work and how much they compete."
Forwards Kirill Kaprizov (two goals, one assist), and Mats Zuccarello (one goal, two assists) led Minnesota with three points each against Dallas.
Filip Gustavsson was 1-1-0 with a .939 save percentage and 1.97 GAA, and Marc-Andre Fleury was 1-1-0 with a .896 save percentage and 3.87 GAA.
The Stars are led by Robertson, who had 109 points (46 goals, 63 assists) in 82 games, and forwards Jamie Benn (78 points; 33 goals, 45 assists in 82 games) and Joe Pavelski (77 points; 28 goals, 49 assists in 82 games).
Oettinger was 37-11-11 with a .919 save percentage and 2.37 GAA; Wedgewood was 9-8-3 with a .915 save percentage and 2.72 GAA.
The Wild are led by Kaprizov, with 75 points (40 goals, 35 assists) in 67 games, and Zuccarello, with 67 points (22 goals, 45 assists) in 78 games.
Fleury was 24-16-4 with a .908 save percentage and 2.85 GAA, and Gustavsson was 22-9-7 with a .931 save percentage and 2.10 GAA.
The Stars moved to Dallas from Minnesota following the 1992-93 season.
"It's for sure a big rivalry, lots of history too," Stars forward Radek Faksa said. "They have a really good team, so it'll be a good matchup. In playoffs, if you want to win the Stanley Cup, you have to face the good teams. You have to beat the good teams. It's a big challenge for us for sure."
The Stars and Wild have played once in the playoffs before, won by Dallas in six games in the 2016 Western Conference First Round.
The Stars won the Stanley Cup in 1999 and lost in the Stanley Cup Final in 2000 and 2020.
The Wild have never won the Stanley Cup.
NHL.com independent correspondent Taylor Baird contributed to this report