The Minnesota Wild earned a split in the first 2 games in Dallas so now they had to win at home to take advantage of stealing home ice advantage. Win the next game and take a series lead. We expect them to respond to that disappointing Game 2 with a lot of energy and just great detailed play in all aspects of the game.
Game 1 Recap HERE
&
Game 2 Recap HERE
if you missed them!
The joint was jumping:
Alright. Enough words. Let’s…
Drop the ClutterPuck!!!
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Here’s how the teams lined up:
Minnesota Wild
Scratched:
Jon Merrill, Alex Goligoski, Calen Addison, Sam Steel , Oskar Sundqvist
Injured:
None
Roster Report
F Sammy Walker was reassigned to the Iowa Wild who are also playing tonight in their 3-game playoff series having lost in Overtime so it was must-win time in Iowa.
Dallas Stars
Scratched:
Joel Hanley, Nils Lundkvist, Fredrik Olofsson, Riley Tufte
Injured:
Joe Pavelski (concussion)
Let’s Play Hockey, Mason Shaw!!!
Game Recap
1st Period
Minnesota Wild F Joel Eriksson Ek returned and started the game but he lasted only 20 seconds before leaving the ice and heading (& limping) down the tunnel to the locker room.
Then Wild D Jake Middleton was called for a holding penalty when Dallas F Evgenii Dadonov ran into him and fell down.
The Wild killed it off then got back to work and Marcus Foligno drew a penalty when Dallas F Max Domi cross-checked him in the face.
14:39 – Penalty – Dallas – Max Domi for Cross-Checking Marcus Foligno
The Wild had some pressure and had a few good chances but it was still scoreless.
10:06 – Penalty – Dallas – Ty Dellandrea for Tripping Marcus Johansson
The Wild again had some chances and the power play looked better than it has all series.
After a whistle, Dallas F Max Domi ran into Kirill Kaprizov just to try to mess with him and 8 seconds later…
The Wild won the ensuing faceoff back to D Brock Faber at the middle of the blue line. He skated to the right half-wall and passed the puck to D John Kingberg and he sent to the puck to the net and it deflected off Dallas D Esa Lindell’s skate towards the right boards but Wild F Ryan Hartman turned his skate to try to send it to his own stick but it went back towards the left boards. Wild F Matt Zuccarello was in front of the net and he caught the puck on his backhand with his back to the net and he quickly turned to his left to try to get around Dallas G Jake Oettinger…
3:15 – Goal – Minnesota – Mats Zuccarello from Ryan Hartman & John Klingberg
The puck was a pinball wizard that went off 2 skates before Zuccarello caught it and made a quick move. Oettinger was going to his right so he tried to extend his leg to make the save but his momentum wouldn’t let him get back to make the save.
1-0 Wild
2:26 – Penalty – Minnesota – Ryan Reaves for Roughing
Ryan Reaves received a 2-minute minor for roughing for who knows what. After a whistle when Wild G Filip Gustavsson froze the puck, Wild F Jake Middleton shoved Dallas F Wyatt Johnston so Dallas F Jamie Benn grabbed Middleton and Wild F Ryan Reaves grabbed Benn and somehow the official only gave a penalty to Reaves. That’s strange and hard to understand. Referees, man. Referees!
No dice on the power play for Dallas.
Wild lead 1-0 after 1 and outshot Dallas 9-6.
2nd Period
Just 2:14 into the 2nd period and Wild F Matt Boldy forced a turnover on the forecheck then fed Marcus Johansson and he made Colin Miller look like a traffic cone by putting the puck behind him then skating around him and picking it up on the other side. Then he completed the amazing play by beating Dallas G Jake Oettinger to put the Wild up 2-0! WOW!
17:46 – Goal – Minnesota – Marcus Johansson from Matt Boldy
This magnificent move by Marcus Johansson may make the play by Boldy look smaller than it actually is but make no mistake about it, Matt Boldy created something out of nothing just by getting to D Colin Miller’s stick and, even though Miller was still able to clear the zone, Boldy deflecting the puck by forcing Miller to move it quicker than he wanted to made it difficult for Dallas D Thomas Harley to control it as he brought the puck back into his own zone.* Then Boldy makes another great play to steal the puck from Harley and find Johansson flying into the zone.
*The play isn’t considered offsides because the Dallas player brought the puck back into the zone.
Turnovers are the toughest plays to defend because you’re usually going the wrong way so you have to try to change direction and also make a good defensive play and going for the puck is usually the wrong play because you only get one shot at that tiny piece of vulcanized rubber. If Miller plays the body here, he likely kills the play.
2-0 Wild
Well, that great feeling of being up 2 goals only lasted 11 seconds as they took advantage of about 5 favorable bounces to get back within one immediately.
17:35 – Goal – Dallas – Luke Glendening from Joel Kiviranta & Radek Faksa
The puck was wrapped around the right side and it hit the ice coming around the left corner so it hopped over Jared Spurgeon’s stick to get to Dallas F Radek Faksa and when he tried to dump the puck behind the net it went off of Wild D Jared Spurgeon then off of Wild F Connor Dewar’s glove then his skate then towards the net where Dallas F Luke Glendening shot it and it went off of Wild D Jake Middleton’s skate and into the net. That is a Magic Loogie.
2-1 Wild
10:06 – Penalty – Dallas – Ty Dellandrea for Tripping Matt Boldy
Wild F Matt Boldy received a pass at the top of the right faceoff circle and he was pushed from behind by Dallas F Mason Marchment which may have got Boldy a little off balance. He tried to turn and Dallas F Ty Dellandrea hit his right leg with his stick which may have caused Boldy to go down. It’s hard to tell but like the Jake Middleton holding penalty just over a minute into the game, it looked like a penalty so it was called. Looks like it’s even now with each team getting a break on a penalty call. Dallas wasn’t able to capitalize on their power play. Did the Wild?
The Wild seemed to be gaining confidence as this game went on or maybe Dallas was losing confidence. The Wild moved the puck around well. Jared Spurgeon had it at the right point and passed to Gustav Nyquist at the left point and he sent it to the net…
8:36 – Goal (PPG) – Minnesota – Marcus Foligno from Gustav Nyquist & Jared Spurgeon
3-1 Wild
3rd Period
The Wild had the puck in their own zone and Dallas D Ryan Suter was forechecking. Wild F Ryan Hartman had the puck in the right corner so he passed it to Wild D John Klingberg behind the Wild net. Klingberg sent it back to Hartman in the corner and he sent a bank off the boards all the way to the red line for a breakaway. He started coasting when he got to the faceoff circle then fired a shot…
5:53 – Goal – Minnesota – Mats Zuccarello from Ryan Hartman & John Klingberg
We’ll assume this was a bad change from Dallas but the replay doesn’t really show it.
4-1 Wild
Dallas pulled their goalie with 4:53 remaining in regulation since they were down 3 goals. The Wild were still playing great defense to keep the puck out of their net and trying to clear the zone. Dallas F Wyatt Johnston stopped a clearing attempt at the right point and took a shot that was blocked by Wild D Jake Middleton. The puck almost went right to Wild F Ryan Hartman but it got by him and went to the left boards/corner. He was able to get to it first and he took a quick shot at the empty net…
1:50 – Goal (ENG) – Minnesota – Ryan Hartman from Jake Middleton
Dallas had all 6 players on the right side of the ice so maybe that wasn’t the best time to take a shot from the point or there was some kind of miscommunication.
5-1 Wild
What a performance by the Minnesota Wild! They were on their game from the start and really gave Dallas nothing for the majority of the game to take a 2-1 series lead!
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Final
Dallas Stars 1 | 5 Minnesota Wild
Goals
MN: 1. Mats Zuccarello(1), 2. Marcus Johansson(2), 3. Marcus Foligno(1)-PPG, 4. Mats Zuccarello(2), 5. Ryan Hartman(2)-ENG
DAL: 1. Luke Glendening(1)
*PPG=Power-Play Goal, ENG=Empty-Net Goal
Assists
MN: 1. Ryan Hartman(1), John Klingberg(1), 2. Matt Boldy(2), 3. Gustav Nyquist(4), Jared Spurgeon(2)-PPG, 4. Ryan Hartman(2), John Klingberg(2), 5. Jake Middleton(1)
DAL: 1. Joel Kiviranta(1), Radek Faksa(1)
Goalies
MN:
Filip Gustavsson
23 Saves on 24 Shots, .958 Save% – 2nd Playoff Win
DAL:
Jake Oettinger
2o Saves on 24 Shots, .833 Save% – 2nd Playoff Loss
Next up:
GAME 4 on Sunday night at 5:30pm on TBS &/or Bally Sports North!
Be There! Get Wild! Be Wild! STAY WILD!!!
Thanks for Reading!!!
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