The Minnesota Wild defeated the Dallas Stars 5-2 in Game 6 of the Western Conference First Round at Grand Casino Arena on May 1, eliminating Dallas and advancing to the next round for the first time since 2015.
This victory marks a significant milestone for Minnesota, whose last playoff series win came against the St. Louis Blues in six games during the first round of the 2015 playoffs.
Quinn Hughes led the Wild with two goals and an assist. “Obviously, we had a great opportunity to close them out in Game 6,” Hughes said. “If it went the other way, you’d still have a chance in Game 7, but I just think their backs are against the wall and you want to close it out. I think all of our guys had that mindset and that’s all I was thinking.” Matt Boldy added two empty-net goals while Jesper Wallstedt made 21 saves for Minnesota.
Wild head coach John Hynes said, “I’m really proud of the group. I mean, they’re such a pleasure to coach. The way they went through the series, I think just learning lessons, and trying to get better and stronger. Tonight was another example of that.” Hynes also highlighted contributions from throughout his lineup: “We came out on our toes, ready to play, had great commitment the last two games with the shot blocking … and we had contributions throughout the lineup. It was fun to coach.” He further praised Hughes’s performance: “‘Hughesy’ was at the top of his game. He was a difference maker in many different ways…his competitive nature tonight — puck battles, defending…was high level.”
Dallas received goals from Wyatt Johnston and Mavrik Bourque; Jake Oettinger made 16 saves for Dallas as their run ended after reaching three straight conference finals previously. Stars forward Matt Duchene said: “We played hard, but it felt like every time we made a mistake, it ended up in our net…That’s a heck of a team and they played really well…they just got the last bounce off a skate … it kind of summed up the series.” Defenseman Miro Heiskanen added: “We knew they were going to push hard (in the first period). It’s their home rink and they want to end the series…You got to give credit to them. They didn’t give us a lot of chances especially in front of net.”
Vladimir Tarasenko tied up Game 6 late in regulation with his career playoff goal number fifty before Hughes reclaimed Minnesota’s lead midway through third period.
Wild defenseman Brock Faber commented on moving forward: “We did what we had to do,” he said. “I think we played a good series….This is a new team….We knew we were better team; we just had prove it….It’s on round two now….We’ve got another series win.”
