Stars host Wild in first-round playoff preview

Before the Wild and the Stars battle in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Central Division rivals meet Thursday in Dallas for what Minnesota forward Marcus Foligno described as "a good little appetizer" for the postseason.

The Colorado Avalanche have clinched first place in both the Central and in the Western Conference, officially confirming the Stars vs. Wild first-round matchup that has seemed to be looming for months. Dallas (46-20-12, 104 points) has a two-point edge on the Wild (45-21-12, 102) for second place, and has clinched the regulation-wins tiebreaker if the two clubs finish with equal points.

Finishing second and gaining home-ice advantage in the first round would be "the cherry on top" for the Wild, Foligno said. The forward added the Wild's aim on Thursday is "to really just put a good road game out there for (Dallas), and just let them know that there's things to worry about come the series."

The home team has won each of the previous three meetings this season. The Stars' 2-1 overtime loss in St. Paul, Minn., on March 21 began a 1-4-2 skid for the team, but Dallas appears to have gotten on track with wins in two of its last three games.

Tuesday's 4-3 comeback victory over the Calgary Flames saw the Stars score twice in the third period to force overtime, and Wyatt Johnston then scored the game-winning goal 3:39 into the extra frame.

Dallas coach Glen Gulutzan said "we're worried about ourselves and what our game should look like come playoff time," rather than focus too much on any particular opponent.

That said, Gulutzan felt his team's "dig-in" during the third period Tuesday "was encouraging as we go into the Minnesota game because it makes you aware of what your mindset needs to be."

While the Stars' recent play has been inconsistent, Minnesota is on a four-game winning streak. In their latest victory, the Wild scored four unanswered goals over the final two periods for a 5-2 result over the visiting Seattle Kraken on Tuesday.

Ryan Hartman recorded an assist against Seattle to extend his point streak to seven games. Hartman has 11 points (six goals, five assists) during his streak.

Kirill Kaprizov leads Minnesota in goals (43) and points (87). Quinn Hughes leads the Wild with 47 assists, despite playing in only 46 games with the club since being traded from the Vancouver Canucks in December.

Jason Robertson leads the Stars with 91 points (41 goals, 50 assists). Johnston has a team-leading 43 goals while Miro Heiskanen leads with 54 assists.

Jake Oettinger is expected to start Thursday as the goalie looks to continue his longtime dominance of the Wild. Oettinger is 8-1-4 with a .924 save percentage and 2.23 goals-against average over 15 career games against Minnesota.

After Jesper Wallstedt played well against the Kraken, regular starter Filip Gustavsson should be back in the Wild's net Thursday. Gustavsson is 28-13-6 with a .909 save percentage and 2.59 GAA in 48 games this season. He started all three previous games against Dallas this season.

The Stars are 10-1-6 in their last 17 regular-season games against the Wild. Dallas also eliminated the Wild in six games in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.