Dallas Stars game notes: Losing battles all over & Game 1 problems continue in loss vs Wild
Apr 18, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) watches a replay of a Minnesota Wild goal in the second period in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images The Dallas Stars could never really get going in a 6-1 Game 1 loss against the Minnesota Wild at American Airlines Center on Saturday. Minnesota leads the series 1-0.
Stars lines Steel – Johnston – Rantanen Robertson – Duchene – Bourque Bäck – Hryckowian – Benn Erne – Faksa – Blackwell Lindell – Heiskanen Harley – Lundkvist Bichsel – Myers Oettinger DeSmith Scratches: Bunting, Hyry, Lyubushkin, Petrovic, Capobianco, Bastian (injured), Hintz (injured), Seguin (SELTIR) Top story Game 1s, for good and for bad. The Stars have a history of falling in Game 1. Including tonight against Minnesota, they have dropped nine of their past 11 Game 1s to open a playoff series.
In there, have been some lopsided losses like this one, and others where they just didn’t have their best stuff, mixed in with some OT losses and close games. Tonight, they were clearly the inferior team for most of the game and lost by five goals. Okay, that’s all the bad stuff.
Purge ! On the flip side, Dallas has won five of those nine series. They have gone on long playoff runs and come within a couple of wins of the Stanley Cup Final.
They have even dropped down in some series 2-1 and won three straight to turn it on its head. And even better, they are absolutely never out of any fight. If I have learned one thing above all else while covering this team for six seasons and watching them for 20 or more, it is that they can be incredibly frustrating, while also being incredibly determined to right their wrongs.
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