Matt Boldy and Wild go home with
chance to clinch series after beating Stars 4-2 in Game 5
[April 29, 2026]
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
DALLAS (AP) — Matt Boldy scored the tiebreaking power-play goal in
the final minute of the second period, after having one taken away
late in the first, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Dallas Stars 4-2
on Tuesday night for a 3-2 lead in their first-round Western
Conference series.
Kirill Kaprizov scored an empty-net goal with two minutes left and
had two assists, while Mats Zuccarello scored in his return from a
three-game absence with an upper-body injury for the Wild. Michael
McCarron also had a third-period goal.
“When we play as a tight connected five-man unit, I think we’re
usually at our best,” coach John Hynes said. “I thought we were
responsible, had strong attention to detail, got some key saves when
we needed them.”
Rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt had 20 saves, 11 in the third period.
The Wild go home for Game 6 on Thursday with a chance to advance to
the second round for the first time since 2015. They have lost their
last nine playoff series, including to Dallas in 2016 and 2023.
“We've got to just look to control our emotions in Game 6 and in
front of our home crowd, a place where we had a good feeling leaving
last time,” forward Marcus Foligno said.
Jason Robertson had a goal with 3:21 left — after also scoring goals
in each of the first four games — and assisted on Miro Heiskanen's
one-timer on a power play for the Stars, who made the Western
Conference final each of the past three seasons.
Robertson’s goal came with an extra skater on the ice for Dallas,
which missed all 16 of its shots in five-on-five situations, after
going 0 for 40 in Game 4 — and now is 3 of 117 in the series.
“You just have to stick with it,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said.
“We did create some opportunities for ourselves, now we’ve got to
take the next step and convert on some of them.”
Game 7, if needed, would be in Dallas on Saturday.
[to top of second column] |
Minnesota Wild right wing Mats Zuccarello skates by his bench after
scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars during the first period in
Game 5 of a first-round NHL Stanley Cup playoffs hockey series,
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Boldy, who had two goals in Game 1 and the overtime
winner in Game 4 on a deflection Saturday, scored on a shot from the
top of the circle to the left of goalie Jake Oettinger for a 2-1
lead with 32 seconds left in the second period.
Oettinger stopped 24 shots, including a sprawling save before that
period even ended.
There were only 13 seconds left in the first period when Boldy
knocked the puck through on a power play. Dallas won its challenge
for goalie interference, with replay showing Boldy made contact on
his second-effort shot.
That was the third time in two games Boldy had a goal negated, but
he still has four goals this postseason after 42 in the regular
season. In Game 4, he had a goal waved off in regulation because of
goalie interference, and another discounted in overtime because he
made a kicking motion at the puck.
Zuccarello hadn't played since having three assists in the Wild's
6-1 win to open the series, when he also took an elbow to the head.
He had a quick impact in his return, scoring 3:51 in to the game
after Kaprizov gathered the rebound of his initial up-close shot off
Oettinger then slid the puck over the top of the crease to
Zuccarello on the other side of net.
The Stars tied the game five minutes later when Heiskanen shot a
one-timer from about 50 feet through the center of the ice.
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