Wyatt Johnston and Stars beat Wild 4-2 in Game 2 to even their first-round playoff series
Apr 20, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston (53) and defenseman Esa Lindell (23) and defenseman Miro Heiskanen (4) and right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) celebrates after Johnston scores an empty net goal to seal the win over the Minnesota Wild during the third period in game two of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron/Jerome Miron-Imagn Images DALLAS — Wyatt Johnston scored goals on a ricochet and a roller, Matt Duchene had a tiebreaking power-play goal and an assist, and the Dallas Stars beat the Minnesota Wild 4-2 in Game 2 to even their Western Conference first-round playoff series. The Stars went ahead to stay with a power play winding down about four minutes into the penalty-filled second period when Duchene made a quick pass to Mikko Rantanen and then got the puck back just in front of the crease.
That made it 2-1 in the kind of physical game expected between the Central Division rivals. Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger stopped 28 shots, including a point-blank attempt by Kirill Kaprizov with 2 1/2 minutes to play when the Wild were on a power play after Dallas was penalized for too many men on the ice. Brock Faber scored his first two playoff goals and Quinn Hughes had two assists for Minnesota, which won the opener 6-1 but missed a chance in its 15th playoff appearance to take a 2-0 series lead for the first time.
“From our end anyway, it was a playoff game. I thought they played two, we played one,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “So it’s more of what we look like, more of the way we are, but you can still see how tight it is.
” Jason Robertson, who like Johnston had 45 goals in the regular season, also scored for Dallas. Nils Lundkvist had two assists. “It was good just to show each other what we can do, and not get kind of pushed out of the series,” said Robertson, who has scored in both games.
“We’re going to try to ride the momentum into Game 3. ” The series now shifts to Minnesota. Johnston, the 22-year-old center already in his fourth postseason and 58th playoff game, put Dallas up 1-0 midway through the first on his shot that ricocheted off the boards behind the net and then went off the left skate of goalie Jesper Wallstedt and just inside the post.