The Dallas Stars defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-2 in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round at American Airlines Center on April 21. Wyatt Johnston scored twice for Dallas, helping the team tie the best-of-seven series at one game each.
The result sets up a crucial Game 3, which will be played at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota. Both teams are looking to gain momentum as they battle for a spot in the next round of the playoffs.
Johnston’s performance was key for Dallas, with Matt Duchene and Jason Robertson also contributing goals. “(Oettinger)’s an unbelievable goalie, and he was awesome tonight and made so many huge saves. I think it was obviously a big win for the team, and obviously it was great to help try to get him the win. He’s just an unbelievable goalie, and we all love him. He’s a huge part of our team,” Johnston said about goaltender Jake Oettinger, who made 28 saves during the game.
Brock Faber scored both goals for Minnesota—his first two career Stanley Cup Playoff goals—while Jesper Wallstedt stopped 28 shots in net for the Wild. “They’re a good hockey team, right? It’s going to be a battle of a series, and we knew that coming in… I think we’re physically tougher, 100 percent,” Faber said after the loss.
Stars coach Glen Gulutzan described his team’s effort: “From our end, anyways, it was a playoff game… We did try to clean up some things (on the penalty kill), but you could see a lot more… connectivity.” Wild coach John Hynes reflected on his team’s play: “I thought it was a hard-fought game by both teams… When we were in the corners trying to recover pucks, they were a little bit better in that area than we were tonight.” Robertson emphasized how important this win is before heading into hostile territory: “You don’t want to go down 2-0 in a series. It’s a mountain to climb… Going on the road now in a tough building and tough environment. We’re gonna have to have even higher desperation there.”
