The Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars met in Dallas on Wednesday for the final regular-season game between the teams, a matchup that also served as one last look at a first-round playoff opponent they already know well. The clubs will face each other in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and both are chasing home-ice advantage for the series.
That chase has been shaped by three tight games that have swung back and forth. Dallas opened the season series with a 5-2 win at American Airlines Center on 10/14, Minnesota answered with a 5-2 victory at Grand Casino Arena on 12/11, and the Wild took the third meeting 2-1 in overtime in St. Paul on 3/21.
Miro Heiskanen has been at the center of Dallas' production in those games. The defenseman leads the Stars with four points in the series, posting one goal and three assists, while Jason Robertson has two goals and one assist. Wyatt Johnston, Roope Hintz and Esa Lindell each have one goal and two assists.
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The goaltending numbers have stayed close as well. Jake Oettinger is 1-1-1 with a 2.31 goals-against average and a.929 save percentage in the three games he started, while Filip Gustavsson is 2-1-0 with a 1.99 GAA and a.915 save percentage in his three starts. Minnesota also entered the night without Zach Bogosian, who has a lower-body injury and has missed two games.
What made this meeting matter was not just the standings point it could swing, but the chance to shape the edge each team will try to carry into the playoffs. With the Wild and Stars headed for a first-round rematch, every result now feeds directly into where that series begins and which club gets the comfort of opening at home.
