Stars take Game 4 to even series vs. Wild

The Dallas Stars held off the Wild 3-2 in Minnesota on Sunday to take Recreation 4 and even their first-round playoff sequence at 2-2. Right here’s what you might want to know:

• Dallas struck first with 4:18 left within the second interval on a power-play aim by Tyler Seguin. Evgenii Dadonov prolonged the lead early within the third, scoring out of the field after the Stars killed off his interference penalty.
• The Wild responded minutes later, reducing their deficit to 2-1 on a aim by John Klingberg, however Seguin buried a second power-play aim with 3:31 remaining that will maintain because the game-winner.
• Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger completed with 32 saves, whereas Minnesota’s Filip Gustavsson allowed three objectives on 24 pictures in his second consecutive begin.
• The sequence returns to Dallas for Recreation 5 on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.

The Athletic’s immediate evaluation:

Oettinger was at his finest

The Stars obtained Oettinger’s best possible on Sunday. The Stars’ netminder was the first purpose the Stars managed to even the sequence up and recapture house ice. Dallas performed free in entrance of him for important stretches of the sport and let him face far too many breakaways and odd-man rushes however Oettinger turned away each single certainly one of them.

You are taking wins within the playoffs nonetheless you get them, particularly once you’re down 2-1 in a sequence. However the Stars will must be a lot better transferring ahead defensively and extra environment friendly offensively in the event that they don’t need a repeat of final yr’s Calgary sequence. — Yousuf

Missed alternative for Wild

The Wild have held a 2-1 sequence’ lead 4 instances in franchise historical past. They’ve now failed to increase that sequence to 3-1 4 instances.

This was one big missed alternative because the Stars seize again home-ice benefit largely due to Oettinger’s excellent, 32-save efficiency and the Wild getting too cute and overpassing too many instances on point-blank probabilities. They’re additionally getting little offensively from regular-season prime scorers Kirill Kaprizov (one aim) and Matt Boldy (zero and now one aim in 10 profession playoff video games). — Russo

Feeble energy play, penalty kill

The Wild have purpose to gripe for Marcus Foligno being referred to as for an interference minor that wasn’t interference resulting in Dallas’ first aim and Foligno being referred to as for tripping that wasn’t tripping resulting in Dallas’ third aim, however Minnesota couldn’t kill both.

The Wild’s penalty kill has now allowed seven objectives on 16 probabilities (56.25 p.c) within the sequence after giving up eight power-play objectives final postseason. Additionally they had consecutive energy performs down 1-0 on the finish of the second interval and begin of the third and have been utterly ineffective.

They obtained too cute, missed nets, misplaced pucks and threw pucks out of the zone. Then moments after the horrible second benefit, Dadonov got here out of the field and beat Gustavsson for a 2-0 lead. — Russo

Spotlight of the sport

Key stat

Seguin turned the fourth participant in franchise historical past to attain a number of power-play objectives in a playoff sport and the primary since Alexander Radulov in 2020.

2023 NHL playoff bracket

Required studying

(Photograph: Brad Rempel / USA In the present day)