Venue: Grand Casino Arena, 199 W Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, MN

Puck Drop: 9:30 PM ET (per series schedule)

Injury Report

Dallas Stars

Miro Heiskanen (D) – Day‑to‑Day (Apr 18)

Roope Hintz (C) – OUT, expected Apr 22 return (uncertain for Game 3)

Nathan Bastian (RW) – OUT until May 4

Minnesota Wild

Quinn Hughes (D) – Day‑to‑Day (Apr 18)

Zach Bogosian (D) – Day‑to‑Day (Apr 18)

Charlie Stramel (C) – OUT until Sept 15

Team Records & Statistical Profile

Regular‑Season Records

Dallas: 50‑20‑12 (24‑9‑8 away)

Minnesota: 46‑24‑12 (23‑10‑8 home)

Team Stats

Category	Stars	Wild
Goals For / Game	3.33	3.27
Goals Against / Game	2.71	2.87
Shots For / Game	25.3	29.2
Shots Against / Game	26.2	29.4
Power Play	28.6%	25.2%
Penalty Kill	80.3%	79.8%

Recent Form

Stars – Last 5

W 4–3 (SO) @ BUF W 6–5 @ TOR W 2–0 vs NYR W 5–4 vs MIN W 4–3 (OT) vs CGY

Wild – Last 5

W 3–2 vs ANA L 6–3 @ STL L 2–1 @ NSH L 5–4 @ DAL W 5–2 vs SEA

Goaltending Matchup

Dallas – Jake Oettinger

35–12–6, 4 SO, 2.59 GAA, .899 SV%

Rebounded in Game 2 after a rough Game 1 (allowed 5 goals in opener per NHL recap).

Minnesota – Filip Gustavsson

28–15–6, 4 SO, 2.69 GAA, .904 SV%

Wallstedt dominated Game 1 (.964 SV%), but Gustavsson remains the primary starter.

Key Player Matchups

Jason Robertson (DAL) vs. Kirill Kaprizov (MIN)

Robertson: 96 points, 45 goals

Kaprizov: 89 points, 45 goals

Both are elite finishers; whoever controls this matchup likely controls the game.

Mats Zuccarello (MIN) vs. Mikko Rantanen (DAL)

Zuccarello: 27 points in 31 career games vs DAL (regular season)

Rantanen: 44 points in 42 career games vs MIN (regular season)

Matt Boldy & Joel Eriksson Ek (MIN)

Both had 3‑point performances in Game 1’s 6–1 win.

Series History & Context

Series tied 1–1 after Minnesota’s 6–1 Game 1 win and Dallas’ 4–2 Game 2 response.

Game 3 shifts to Minnesota, where the Wild are 23–10–8 at home.

Historically, the Wild have struggled in first‑round series (seven straight losses since 2016).

Betting Trends

Dallas

5‑0 in last five overall entering series (per recent form).

Power play strong at 28.6%.

Oettinger stabilizing after Game 1.

Minnesota

Strong home team; higher shot volume.

Game 1 offensive explosion shows high ceiling.

Power play at 25.2% and aggressive forecheck.

Game Odds

Dallas Stars                         5.5

Minnesota Wild               – 130

Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Venue: Xfinity Mobile Arena — 3601 S Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA

Puck Drop: 4:00 PM ET (1:00 PM PT)

Top‑Line Summary

The Flyers return home with a commanding 2–0 series lead, having shut out Pittsburgh 3–0 in Game 2 behind a dominant defensive performance and Dan Vladar’s first career playoff shutout. Pittsburgh enters Game 3 desperate, scoreless in six straight periods, and facing a must‑win scenario to avoid a near‑insurmountable 3–0 deficit.

Venue & Context

Arena: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia

Series: Flyers lead 2–0 (best‑of‑7)

Game 3 Status: First game of the series in Philadelphia; Flyers have won 5 of their last 6 overall. Penguins have lost 5 straight.

Injury Report

Pittsburgh Penguins

Player	Status	Notes
Peyton Kettles (D)	OUT	Expected return Sept. 15

Philadelphia Flyers

Player	Status	Notes
Nikita Grebenkin (RW)	OUT	Expected return Apr. 22 (unlikely for Game 3)
Owen Tippett (RW)	Day‑to‑Day	Injured Apr. 18; attempted penalty shot in Game 2
Christian Dvorak (C)	Day‑to‑Day	Apr. 18 designation
Rodrigo Abols (C)	IR	Apr. 18 designation

Recent Form

Penguins – Last 5

L 7–5 @ STL

L 3–0 @ WSH

L 6–3 vs WSH

W 5–2 @ NJ

W 5–2 vs FLA

Flyers – Last 5

W 4–2 vs MTL

W 3–2 SO vs CAR

W 7–1 @ WPG

L 6–3 @ DET

W 5–1 @ NJ

Team Statistical Profile

Category	Penguins	Flyers
Goals For / Game	3.54	2.93
Goals Against / Game	3.15	2.92
Power Play	24.1%	15.7%
Penalty Kill	81.4%	77.6%
Shots For / Game	28.6	25.5
Shots Against / Game	27.4	25.5

Goaltending Matchup

Pittsburgh

Stuart Skinner: 23–17–9, 2 SO, 2.92 GAA, .888 SV%

Has allowed 5 goals in Games 1–2 but has received zero goal support.

Penguins’ defensive lapses have increased his workload.

Philadelphia

Dan Vladar: 29–14–7, 2.42 GAA, .906 SV%

27‑save shutout in Game 2, the first playoff shutout of his career.

Flyers’ structure has limited PIT’s high‑danger looks.

Key Player Matchups

Sidney Crosby (PIT) vs. Travis Konecny (PHI)

Crosby leads PIT with 74 points; Konecny leads PHI with 68 points.

Flyers have physically targeted Crosby, limiting his space.

Anthony Mantha (PIT) vs. Owen Tippett (PHI)

Mantha: 33 goals, PIT’s top finisher.

Tippett: 28 goals, but Day‑to‑Day; his availability impacts PHI’s transition game.

Erik Karlsson (PIT) vs. Flyers Forecheck

Karlsson’s puck‑moving has been neutralized; he took a costly penalty in Game 2.

Flyers’ aggressive forecheck has forced turnovers and stalled PIT breakouts.

Series History & Trends

Flyers lead series 2–0.

Flyers have outscored PIT 6–1 through two games.

Penguins’ offense, top‑3 in NHL regular season, has been shut out in Game 2 and held to one goal in Game 1.

Flyers have won five straight head‑to‑head meetings dating back to regular season (inference based on both teams’ recent forms and series results).

Penguins have lost five straight overall entering Game 3.

Betting Trends

Penguins

0–2 ATS in series

Power play 0‑for‑multiple attempts in Game 2

Trending Under due to lack of scoring

Flyers

2–0 ATS

Vladar’s .906 SV% regular season → .963+ in series (inference from 27‑save shutout)

Flyers’ defensive structure producing Under results

Game Odds

Pittsburgh Penguins       5.5

Philadelphia Flyers         – 115

Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Tuesday, April 21, 2026