Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Preview

Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Preview, Prediction, Team Comparison, X-Factors

Stanley Cup Playoffs continue on Thursday night at 9:30PM (EST) in the third match-up of the night with the Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild. The Stars are coming off a 50 win season claiming the Central Division with 107 points. They also led the league in goals for with 267.

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After an up-and-down season for the Wild, front office made a late coaching change, firing Mike Yeo, bringing in John Torchetti. Minnesota’s new bench boss lit a fire under this team down the stretch for the final Wild-Card spot, leaving Colorado in the dust.

Injury Report (IR – Injured Reserve, DTD – Day-to-Day)

Alex Goligoski DAL (DTD) – Sat out Tuesday’s practice with an unknown illness. There’s nothing that suggests his availability for game one is in doubt.

Tyler Seguin DAL (DTD) – After missing the end of the regular season, Lindy Ruff told reporters that Seguin is available Thursday night.

Brett Ritchie DAL (DTD) – He has been sidelined with a lower-body injury, but should return to practice soon.

Patrik Nemeth DAL (DTD) – Also sidelined with an unknown illness. He is expected to be healthy enough to play game one.

Mattias Janmark DAL (DTD) – Out with an upper-body injury, Lindy Ruff indicated the Stars rookie will be available Thursday night.

Zach Parise MIN (DTD) – Rumors suggest he will miss the entire first round, other reports say he is only being ruled out for games one and two. Either way, this is a devastating loss for Minnesota.

Thomas Vanek MIN (DTD) – Vanek is not expected to travel with Minnesota for game one as he continues to deal with a lower-body injury.

Erik Haula MIN (DTD) – An undisclosed injury will apparently sideline Haula for game one on Thursday.

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Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild: Team Comparison

Goaltending:

Antti Niemi/Kari Lehtonen vs. Devan Dubnyk/Darcy Kuemper

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The NHL’s most expensive goalie tandem had a fair season, although the goals-against-average wasn’t pretty. By bringing in a former Cup winner, Jim Nill was able to keep Kari Lehtonen healthy – likely the intention. Now, the Stars have two legitimate options to pick from. Niemi deserves the first look between the pipes given his playoff history, but it should be a short leash if he drops the ball early.

For anyone who questioned Devan Dubnyk’s abilities following his remarkable 2014-15 campaign, all doubt was squashed this season after he nearly replicated his Vezina-worthy performance from a year ago. He should give them a chance to win every night in this first round match-up.

Advantage: Dallas Stars

Dubnyk and Kuemper are a solid 1-2 option that many teams only wish they had. Unfortunately, Niemi and Lehtonen are a stronger tandem option. Both have the ability to carry the load, which means Lindy Ruff can ride the hot hand.

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Defense:

This Stars defensive group takes unfair criticism – particularly their top pairing. Yes, their 230 goals allowed ranks worst among playoff participants, but the numbers are deceiving.

Here we’ve got Brent Burns ranked 6th in the NHL in most team goals allowed with 101 – every player around him is a non playoff participant. Burns was also on the ice for 126 goals for, and as we know is garnering Norris consideration. Closest Stars defender in goals allowed is Alex Goligoski with 92. His partner John Klingberg was on the ice for 70 against.

John Klingberg led the NHL in team goals for with 132 – that’s one more than second ranked Erik Karlsson, four more than third ranked Patrick Kane, five more than fourth ranked teammate Jamie Benn, and six more than fifth ranked Brent Burns.

We need to stop questioning the ability of Dallas’ top pairing.

If we look further, the Stars are full of defensive depth. Beyond the top pair is new addition Kris Russell, Jason Demers (now healthy), Johnny Oduya, Jordie Benn, Patrik Nemeth, Stephen Johns, and if need be, Jamie Oleksiak or Esa Lindell. Options are plentiful to stick under-performing players in the press box.

Not many teams are built with as much defensive talent as the Minnesota Wild. In fact, they’ll likely find themselves moving one of their many defenders this offseason to address offensive holes.

For now, their strength is from the blue-paint outwards, and if they’re going to win a series or make noise this spring, it’ll be on the back of solid defensive play and rock-solid goaltending.

If there’s any team best equipped to shut down the NHL’s most potent offense, it might be the Minnesota Wild. With three pairings that can play shutdown hockey, the result may be largely dictated by Stars offense vs. Wild defense.

Advantage: Minnesota Wild

The top four of Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon, Marco Scandella, and Jonas Brodin is among tops in the NHL. Matt Dumba, who took strides in his development in 2015-16 is relegated to a more limited role, but makes up the ice-time on the man advantage. Whether it’s Christian Folin, Mike Reilly, or Nate Prosser in the six slot, there’s no denying this is a dangerous defensive group.

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Offense:

Dallas has an underrated group of forwards. It’s easy to look to the obvious players that need to lead this team, Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, or Patrick Sharp. But, if the Stars have any hope of making a deep run, they’ll need their supporting cast to step up.

Two names that come to mind are Antoine Roussel and Valeri Nichushkin. Neither player is expected to light up the scoreboard, they just need to play their physical playoff brand of hockey to get their opponents off their game.

Dallas may receive a boost on the scoresheet from Radek Faksa or Brett Ritchie, a pair of underrated prospects who can have an impact.

Even if Minnesota had a healthy Zach Parise, there would still be enormous question marks surrounding this group of forwards. Without Parise, they have zero true first line forwards, and a cast of around six second line quality players.

They have a few quality players in their supporting cast such as Erik Haula, Jason Zucker, and Justin Fontaine, but overall, Minnesota has a very weak offensive group.

Advantage: Dallas Stars

The Stars potent offense will test the Minnesota Wild. With four lines that can score, the Wild defenders cannot afford to take a shift off. You don’t lead the NHL in goals for by chance, the Dallas Stars will capitalize on mistakes and make their opponents pay.

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Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild: X-Factors

John Klingberg DAL – Numbers don’t lie. The Stars offense runs directly through their sophomore star on the blueline – that theme must continue throughout the postseason.

Patrick Sharp DAL – He brings with him a ton of playoff experience and several Stanley Cup rings. He never fails to show up around this time of year.

Valeri Nichushkin DAL – This supremely talented power forward struggles with consistency. He plays with a high level of intensity well suited for playoff hockey. If he can find that next gear, he’s the perfect fit alongside Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin when he’s at the top of his game.

Ryan Suter MIN – If you want to shut down the Stars, it starts with winning the key match-up in this series. Suter needs to win those one-on-one battles with Seguin and Benn.

Charlie Coyle/Nino Niederreiter MIN – For Minnesota to shock the hockey world, and knock off Dallas in round one, they’ll need Coyle and Niederreiter to lead the charge offensively in Parise’s absence. If this team is relying on declining vets such as Jason Pominville or Mikko Koivu, this team may be in trouble.

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Prediction:

Dallas Stars Win Series 4-1