The Minnesota Wild finds itself in a position its only been in one other time, up 3-2 in a Stanley Cup Playoff series. For the first time since 2015, Minnesota has a chance to advance to the second round when it hosts the Dallas Stars in Game 6 tonight at 6:30 on TNT, TruTV, HBO Max, FanDuel Sports Network and KFAN FM 100.3. Per Stats Perform, the Wild has a 4-1 record in potential series-clinching playoff games but only one of those games was not a Game 7.
After falling behind 2-1 in this series, Minnesota has won the last two meetings and is looking to close it out with three consecutive wins, something that has been done to it in its last two postseason appearances (2023 vs. Dallas and 2025 vs. Vegas). Minnesota won Game 5, 4-2, getting goals from Mats Zuccarello, Matt Boldy, Michael McCarron and Kirill Kaprizov. Dallas, who scored a power play goal and a six-on-five goal, have still not scored a five-on-five goal since the first period of Game 2, or 217:53 of game action.
The Wild will look to keep riding the hot hand of Kirill Kaprizov. He enters tonight’s contest tied with Leon Draisaitl for the most points in the postseason with nine (2-7=9). Per Stats Perform, Kaprizov is only the third NHL player since 1996 with nine or more points and a plus/minus rating of +9 or higher in his first five playoff games in one year. The return of Zuccarello in Game 5 was also a big factor in Kaprizov’s overall game, as he has recorded three points in each of the two games they have played together.
Wild Head Coach John Hynes confirmed that the team will be without defenseman Jonas Brodin in tonight’s contest. He is listed day-to-day with a lower-body injury suffered in Game 5. Not having Brodin’s defensive presence could be a huge factor in Game 6 as he leads all Wild blueliners and ranks T-4th among all playoff skaters with 14 blocked shots. Jeff Petry, who has skated in 48 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, will slot in for Brodin and be paired with fellow right-shot defenseman, Zach Bogosian.
Injuries aside, winning tonight will be no easy task for the Wild. Scoring first and staying out of the penalty box will be two keys for Minnesota. Game 4 marked the only game in this series where the team who hasn’t scored first won. As mentioned, while Dallas has struggled five-on-five, the power play has been a factor as they are 9-23 in the series. Minnesota has also not won consecutive games at home in the playoffs since 2014. Getting off to a strong start and getting a fanbase that wants to see their team advance for the first time since 2015 roaring early, will be a priority for Minnesota tonight.
