NHL Preview: Minnesota Wild (12-9-2) at Dallas Stars (14-6-4)

MINNESOTA WILD NOTES:

SERIES NOTES
All-Time Wild Record: 35-35-13 (23-12-5 at Xcel Energy Center,
12-23-8 at Dallas)
2021-22: Minnesota went 2-2-0 against Dallas…The Wild won
the first game, 7-2, at Xcel Energy Center (11/18), fell in the second game, 7-4, at American Airlines Center (12/20), dropped the third meeting, 6-3, in Saint Paul (3/6) and won the final contest, 3-2 at Dallas (4/14)…LW Kirill Kaprizov led the Wild with nine points (4-5=9)…RW Mats Zuccarello (1-6=7) and LW Kevin Fiala (4-3=7) tallied seven points each…C Frederick Gaudreau (2-2=4) and D Alex Goligoski (1-3=4) recorded four points each…G Cam Talbot went 1-1- 0 with a 3.58 GAA and an .884 SV% in three matches (two starts)…G Kaapo Kahkonen made 17 saves in the third meeting…G Marc-Andre Fleury made 34 saves in the final meeting…LW Jason Robertson led the Stars with seven points (5-2=7)…LW Jamie Benn (3-2=5) and C Roope Hintz (1-4=5) had five points each…C Joe Pavelski had four points (2-2=4)…G Anton Khudobin started the first contest, allowing seven goals on 26 shots…G Jake Oettinger went 2-0-0 with a 3.34 GAA and a .879 SV% in three games (two starts)… G Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves in the final meeting.

WILD LEADERS: Zuccarello owns 17 points (3-14=17) in 19 games against Dallas…D Jared Spurgeon has 17 points (6-11=17) in 38 contests…C Ryan Hartman has 14 points (7-7=14) in 24 matches…D Matt Dumba owns 12 points (6-6=12) in 26 games…D Jonas Brodin has 10 assists in 34 contests.

WILD GOALIES: Fleury is 12-5-1 with a 1.98 GAA, a .932 SV% and one shutout in 18 starts vs. the Stars…G Filip Gustavsson is 2-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and a .959 SV% in two starts.

STARS LEADERS: C Tyler Seguin owns 42 points (16-26=42) in 37 contests against Minnesota…Benn has 42 points (17-25=42) in 48 games…Pavelski owns 41 points (21-20=41) in 49 matches…D Miro Heiskanen has nine points (1-8=9) in 11 contests.

STARS GOALIES: Oettinger is 2-0-0 with a 3.34 GAA and a .879 SV% in three career games (two starts)…Wedgewood is 0-1-0 with a 3.75 GAA and a .889 SV% in two games (one start).

FAST FACTS: Minnesota is 17-10-5 in its last 32 games against Dallas…The Wild is 12-4-3 in the last 19 games against the Stars at Xcel Energy Center…Minnesota has points in 10 of the last 17 games (8-7-2) played at American Airlines Center… Minnesota was defeated by Dallas in six games in the 2016 First Round.

INJURIES
Jonas Brodin: lower body
Brandon Duhaime: upper body
Ryan Hartman: upper body

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Nov. 23, 2022 – Dec. 3, 2022
12/2/22 Recalled F Joseph Cramarossa from Iowa
12/1/22 Recalled D Andrej Sustr from Iowa
11/29/22 Reassigned G Zane McIntyre to Iowa
11/28/22 Assigned F Marco Rossi to Iowa
11/26/22 Recalled G Zane McIntyre from Iowa
11/24/22 Reassigned G Zane McIntyre to Iowa
11/23/22 Acquired F Ryan Reaves from the New York Rangers in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round draft pick

NO FREE HANDOUTS
• Minnesota is averaging 6.17 giveaways per game (142 in 23 games) this season, the second-lowest rate in the NHL.

SHORT (HANDED) KINGS
• Minnesota is tied for first in the NHL with four shorthanded goals this season.

• The total is the team’s highest through a season’s first 22 games since the 2018-19 season (four SHG).

WE’RE HEADED TO OVERTIME
• This season, Minnesota has four victories in games decided past regulation, two overtime wins and two shootout victories.

• Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Minnesota leads the NHL with 20 victories in extra-session games.

• During the 2021-22 season, the Wild ranked second in the NHL with a franchise record 11 overtime wins and ranked tied for second with five shootout wins, good for 16 total extra-session victories.

• Minnesota went 16-7 in 23 extra session games during the 2021-22 season – its most extra session contests since 23 in 2013-14. The 16 extra session wins are the second-most in team history (17 in 2006-07).

DALLAS STARS NOTES:

LAST DALLAS STARS GAME
Dec. 1, 2022 – STARS 5 vs. ANAHEIM 0
Fueled by a 31-save shutout from goaltender Jake Oettinger and a hat trick (3-0—3) from forward Jason Robertson, the Stars opened a five-game homestand with a 5-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday at American Airlines Center. With the win, the Stars improved to 14-6-4 (32 points) overall and 7-2-2 at home. Oettinger’s shutout marked his second of the season and fourth of his career, while Robertson padded his league-leading goal total to 22 while also extending his point streak to 17 games. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen (0-3—3) had a season-high three-point night in the win, giving him points in four consecutive games (1-6—7). Forward Roope Hintz (0-2—2) recorded his seventh multi-point game of the season, rookie forward Wyatt Johnston (1-0—1) picked up his seventh goal of the season and forward Joel Kiviranta (1-0—1) potted his fourth goal of 2022-23 in the win against Anaheim. In all, nine players found the scoresheet, including defensemen Jani Hakanpaa (0-1—1) and Colin Miller (0-1—1) and forwards Joe Pavelski (0-1—1) and Tyler Seguin (0-1—1).
PP: 2-4 | PK: 3-3 | SF: 41 | SA: 31 | DAL TOI: Heiskanen (24:30 – game high) | Attendance: 18,012
Three Stars: 1. DAL – J. Robertson 2. DAL – M. Heiskanen 3. DAL – J. Oettinger

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time (CT) Location TV/Radio
Sun., Dec. 4, 2022 Minnesota Wild 2 p.m. American Airlines Center BSSW/KTCK
Tue., Dec. 6, 2022 Toronto Maple Leafs 7:30 p.m. American Airlines Center ESPN+/KTCK
Thu., Dec. 8, 2022 Ottawa Senators 7:30 p.m. American Airlines Center BSSW/KTCK
Sat., Dec. 10, 2022 Detroit Red Wings 1 p.m. American Airlines Center BSSW/KTCK
Mon., Dec. 12, 2022 Pittsburgh Penguins 6 p.m. PPG Paints Arena BSSWX/KTCK

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Nov. 9 – Recalled forward Matej Blumel from Texas (AHL); loaned goaltender Matt Murray to Texas
Nov. 18 – Loaned forward Matej Blumel to Texas (AHL)
Nov. 19 – Recalled forward Matej Blumel from Texas (AHL)
Nov. 22 – Loaned forward Matej Blumel to Texas (AHL)
Nov. 22 – Recalled forward Fredrik Karlstrom from Texas (AHL)
Nov. 29 – Loaned forward Fredrik Karlstrom to Texas (AHL)

INJURIES
Man-games lost, 2022-23: 14
NAME INJURY # OF GAMES DATES
D Miro Heiskanen Upper body 3 Oct. 25-29
G Jake Oettinger Lower body 4 Nov. 1-8
F Denis Gurianov Upper body 6 Nov. 11-21
F Roope Hintz Lower body 1 Nov. 19

DALLAS STARS NOTES
TONIGHT’S GAME: A five-game homestand continues Sunday afternoon as the Stars host the Minnesota Wild in a matinee affair at American Airlines Center. (2 p.m. CT, TV: Bally Sports Southwest, Radio: The Ticket 96.7-FM/1310-AM). This kickstarts a four-game season series between the Central Division rivals, which features two contests this month (also Dec. 29 at Xcel Energy Center). Then, they’ll meet twice more in the span of nine days (Feb. 8 in Dallas and Feb. 17, 2023 in Saint Paul, Minnesota).

I WILL MEET YOU THERE, BEYOND THE PINES

• The Stars went 2-1-1 against Minnesota last season, including a 1-0-1 mark at home.
• Dallas enters Sunday’s matchup with wins in two of the past three (2-0-1) and points in nine of the past 12 games against Minnesota (7-3-2).
• The Stars have also logged wins in four of the past six home games (4-1-1) against the Wild and have points in eight of the previous 10 (6-2-2).
• Additionally, the Stars have recorded points in 12 of the previous 16 games vs. Minnesota at American Airlines Center, posting a 9-4-3 record over that stretch.
• Dallas is 47-28-8 all-time vs. Minnesota, including a 30-8-5 mark at home.
• Forward Jason Robertson led the offensive charge against Minnesota last season with five goals and seven points (5-2—7) in five games.
• Robertson recorded a hat trick (3-0—3) in a 6-3 victory at Xcel Energy Center on March 6 to become the second player in franchise history (1967-present) to score a hat trick in consecutive games (also March 4 at Winnipeg). Robertson joined Bill Goldsworthy (2 GP from March 16-21, 1971) as the only two players in franchise history to hold that mark.
• Robertson followed that up with a two-goal effort (2-0—2) in the series finale, a 4-3 OT loss on April 14 at American Airlines Center.
• Captain Jamie Benn has goals (3-2—5) in three of his past four games against Minnesota and has tallied nine points (3-6—9) in his past 10 games against them. He also has four points (1-3—4) in his past five home games vs. the Wild.
• Benn co-leads active Stars in career scoring against Minnesota with 42 points (17-25—42) in 48 games. He also paces the club with four game winners against the Wild.
• Forward Tyler Seguin earned three points (1-2—3) in four games vs. Minnesota last season. Seguin leads active Stars in assists (26) and shares first with 42 points (16-26—42) in 37 games.
• Forward Joe Pavelski ranks first on the club in goals (21) and third in assists (20) and points (21-20—41) in a team-high 49 games against Minnesota. He also ranks first in power-play goals (6) and shares second in game-winning markers (3).
• In his only game against the Wild, forward Mason Marchment recorded his first career hat trick (3-0—3) in a 6-2 Panthers victory on Feb. 18 at Xcel Energy Center.
• Lakeville, Minnesota native Jake Oettinger is 2-0-0 with a 3.34 goals-against average and .879 save percentage in three career appearances against the Wild.
• Goaltender Scott Wedgewood is 0-1-1 with a 3.44 GAA and .889 SV% in three career appearances vs. Minnesota.

HIP, HIP ROOPE!

• On Nov. 29 the Stars signed forward Roope Hintz to an eight-year contract extension, which begins in the 2023-24 season and runs through the 2030-31 campaign. The eight-year contract extension is worth $67.6 million and has an average annual value (AAV) of $8.45 million.
• The 26-year-old has skated in 23 contests this season with Dallas and shares second on the club with 26 points (8-18—26). Among team leaders, he ranks first in assists (18), co-leads in shorthanded goals (1) and shares second in game-winning goals (2). He’s also tied for third in plus-minus (+14), ranks second among forwards in TOI/GP (17:01) and third in power-play TOI/GP (2:26).
• He had a 10-game point streak from Oct. 27-Nov. 17, tallying 15 points (6-9—15) over that span including four multi-point efforts.
• With two goals on his 26th birthday on Nov. 17 at Florida, Hintz became just the second player in franchise history (1967-present) to score multiple goals on his birthday (also Dave Gagner, Dec. 11, 1990).
• Hintz is one of four players on the Stars to have a shorthanded goal this season (also Radek Faksa, Luke Glendening and Joel Kiviranta).
• Hintz and Robertson became the third pair of Stars/North Stars teammates with simultaneous 10-game point streaks, joining Brian Bellows and Neal Broten (10 GP from Jan. 23-Feb. 13, 1986) as well as Steve Payne and Bobby Smith (10 GP from Feb. 10-28, 1980).
• In five NHL seasons, Hintz has earned 196 points (88-108—196) in 262 career NHL games. He’s tied for sixth in Dallas Stars history (1993-present) with six career shorthanded goals and shares 10th with 18 career game-winning goals.

SAINT ‘HAT’-TRICK’S DAY IN DALLAS

• With his third career hat trick (3-0—3) on Thursday, Dec. 1 against Anaheim, forward Jason Robertson remains atop the mountain with a league-best 22 goals (24 GP).
• Robertson and David Pastrnak are the only active players to score at least 22 goals in the first 24 games of a season. Only seven players have accomplished that feat since the Stars moved to Dallas for the 1993-94 season: Robertson, Pastrnak, Simon Gagne, Jaromir Jagr (2x), Mario Lemieux, Wendel Clark and Bob Kudelski.
• He also joined Kirill Kaprizov, Auston Matthews, Alex Ovechkin, Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, Eric Lindros, Pavel Bure, Joe Nieuwendyk and Mario Lemieux as players to score at least 80 goals in the first 152 career NHL games.
• With 53 goals dating to Jan. 1, Robertson surpassed Auston Matthews (52) for the most goals in the 2022 calendar year so far.
• Robertson has recorded three hat tricks since his debut season in 2019-20, surpassing Jamie Benn (2) for the most by a Stars player of that span.

BRIGHTEST STAR FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER

• Jason Robertson was named the NHL’s First Star for the month of November.
• He paced the NHL with 15 goals and 26 points in 14 games (15-11—26) to power the Central Division-leading Stars to an 8-3-3 November.
• Robertson, who became the first player in franchise history to top the league in both goals and points during a calendar month, found the scoresheet in each of his 14 November appearances to extend his point streak to 16 contests (now 17 as of Dec. 4) dating to Oct. 27 (17-12—29) – the second-longest such stretch in franchise history (1967-present) behind Brian Bellows’ 20-game run from Jan. 11–Feb. 21, 1986 (11-18—29).
• Robertson’s November goal and point totals also ranked second for a single month in franchise history, behind Dino Ciccarelli’s 16 tallies in March 1986 (14 GP) and Tom McCarthy’s 27 points in November 1983 (12-15—27 in 13 GP).
• Overall, Robertson recorded multiple points in nine of his 14 outings and a quartet of multi-goal performances, highlighted by three straight such games from Nov. 21-25 (6-1—7).

*Robertson’s point streak is currently at 17 games. (More on that below).

I KEEP SWINGING MY HAND THROUGH A SWARM OF BEES

• Jason Robertson extended his career-best point streak to 17 consecutive games with three goals (3-0—3) in a 5-0 victory over Anaheim on Dec. 1.
• Robertson has 20 goals and 32 points (20-12—32) over that span, which is the second-longest point streak in franchise history (1967-present). Only Brian Bellows’ 20-game point streak from Jan. 11-Feb. 21, 1986 with the Minnesota North Stars is longer.
• Only four active players have recorded a longer point streak age 23 or younger: Paul Stastny (20 GP in 2006-07), Sidney Crosby (19 GP 2007-08 & 16 GP in 2008-09), Steven Stamkos (18 GP in 2009-10) and Phil Kessel (18 GP in 2008-09.
• Robertson holds the second longest point streak in the NHL this season, behind only Mitchell Marner’s active 19-game run.
• He has goals in 14 of his 17 games on his current point streak and has 11 multi-point efforts over that span, including three consecutive multi-goal performances (Nov. 21 vs. Colorado, Nov. 23 vs. Chicago and Nov. 25 vs. Winnipeg).
• Robertson has the outright lead in goals (22) and ranks third in points (22-17—39), trailing only Connor McDavid (47) in that category.
• Robertson had goals in six consecutive games from Oct. 27-Nov. 8, becoming the fifth player in franchise history to have a goal streak of six games or more before turning 24, and the second player in Dallas Stars history (1993-present) to do so. Robertson followed Neal Broten from Jan. 23-Feb. 4, 1982 (7-12—19 in 7 GP), Jamie Benn from March 1-11, 2011 (6-1—7 in 6 GP), Mike Modano from Feb. 29-March 10, 1992 (7-2—9 in 6 GP) and Danny Grant from Oct. 16-29, 1969 (6-1—7 in 6 GP).
• Robertson has been named the NHL’s First Star of the Week twice already this season for the weeks ending Nov. 27 and Nov. 6.
• The Arcadia, California native is averaging better than a point-per-game pace through his four NHL seasons (80-84—164 in 152 GP).

YOUR EYES, FOLLOWED ME HERE, YOUR EYES, SEAMLESS AND SURE

• Captain Jamie Benn has 15 points (6-9—15) over his past 11 games and 26 points (10-16—26) overall (24 GP).
• With the most points in a single month in his career (10-13—23), Benn trailed only Jason Robertson (15-11—26) for the most points by any player in the NHL during the month of November. He also ranked fifth during that time in goals (10).
• Benn registered his 10th multi-point game of the season with a two-assist night (0-2—2) against St. Louis on Nov. 28.
• Benn recorded the 45th multi-goal game of his NHL career on Nov. 11 vs. San Jose and moved within two of tying Bill Goldsworthy (47) for fourth place on the Stars/North Stars franchise’s all-time list.
• With a hat trick (3-0—3) against the Oilers on Nov. 5, Benn (333) surpassed Dino Ciccarelli (332) for sole possession of third place among franchise leaders (1967-present) in goals.
• In addition, Benn (7) trails only Ciccarelli (14) and Bill Goldsworthy (8) for the most three-goal outings in Stars/North Stars franchise history (1967-present). Note: Mike Modano also had seven hat tricks with the Stars/North Stars franchise.
• Among team leaders, the 33-year-old shares second in goals (10) and points (10-16—26) and is tied for third in assists (16). He also ranks second in power-play points (11) and third in power-play goals (4).
• In the dot, Benn ranks second on the club in faceoff wins (155), faceoffs taken (249) and faceoff win percentage (62.3%).

I JUST CLOSE MY EYES AND I’M ALREADY HERE

• Defenseman Miro Heiskanen enters Sunday’s game with a season-long four-game point streak.
• He’s registered seven points (1-6—7) over that span, including six assists.
• Heiskanen had season-high three points (0-3—3) in the win over Anaheim on Dec. 1, giving him 19 points (3-16—19) in 21 games this season.
• The 23-year-old leads shares fifth on the Stars and shares 12th among NHL defensemen in points (19). He also paces the Stars and ranks 11th in the league in TOI/GP (24:48).
• Four games shy of 300 in his career, Heiskanen has 36 goals, 114 assists and 150 points in his NHL career while averaging 24:09 over that span.
• Heiskanen’s longest point streak of his career is five games, accomplished twice (last: Dec. 20, 2021-Jan. 12, 2022).

I’VE WAITED FOR THIS MOMENT ALL MY LIFE AND MORE

• Rookie forward Wyatt Johnston potted his seventh goal of the season on Dec. 1 vs. Anaheim. The only rookies with more are Seattle’s Matty Beniers (10 and Ottawa’s Shane Pinto (9).
• Johnston has goals (2-0—2) in consecutive games for the second time this season and has three goals (3-1—4) in his past four games.
• The Toronto, Ontario native has 10 points (7-3—10) in 24 games this season.
• At 19 years, 173 days, he became the first teenager in Stars/North Stars history (1967-present) to record a three-game goal streak on the road with his goal on Nov. 3 at Arizona. The last teenager to have a longer road run was Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov (4 GP in 2019-20).
• With a goal (1-0—1) on Oct. 25 against Boston, Johnston became the third youngest player in Dallas Stars history (1993-present) to score in consecutive games. Johnston followed Valeri Nichushkin (2 GP in 2013-14) and Miro Heiskanen (2x in 2018-10, both 2 GP).
• With a goal (1-0—1) in the season opener on Oct. 13, forward Johnston became the youngest player in Dallas Stars history to score a goal in his NHL debut (19 years, 151 days) and second youngest in franchise history (1967-present) with at least one goal in his NHL debut, behind Dave Archibald (18 years, 179 days on Oct. 10, 1987). Mike Modano (19 years, 120 days on Oct. 5, 1989) scored in his first regular-season NHL game but had debuted during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

I’M ALMOST SURE THAT I’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE

• Forward Joe Pavelski passed Chris Chelios (948) for 12th all-time in points among U.S.-born skaters with an assist against the Ducks on Dec. 1.
• With his 157th career power-play goal scored on Nov. 26 at Colorado, Pavelski tied Mike Modano for the fourth most by a U.S.-born player. (Jeremy Roenick is third all-time with 184 PPG). It marked Pavelski’s 10th goal of the season and the 431st of his NHL career.
• With 431 career NHL goals, Pavelski needs two more to tie Patrick Kane (434) for seventh all-time in goals among U.S.-born skaters. Kane is also the only active U.S.-born skater to have more goals than Pavelski.
• Pavelski has seven multi-point games on the season and 43 since joining the Stars in 2019-20.
• Only two Stars have notched more multi-point games for the franchise than Pavelski over that span: Jason Robertson (49) and Roope Hintz (47).
• Pavelski has points (6-12—18) in 12 of his past 16 games and 15 of 24 overall (10-15—25).
• Through 24 games this season, the Plover, Wisconsin native shares second on the Stars in goals (10), ranks fourth in points (10-15—25) and shares fifth in assists (15). He also leads the club in plus-minus (+17), shares second in even-strength points (5-11—16) and shares fifth in even-strength goals (5).

LIKE A PHOENIX IGNITION

• Forward Ty Dellandrea tallied his fourth goal of the season on Nov. 28 at St. Louis to give him four points (2-2—4) in his past six games and 13 points (4-9—13) in 24 GP this season.
• Dellandrea also has six points (3-3—6) in his past eight games and has found the scoresheet in nine of his past 14 games overall (4-5—9).
• Dellandrea has eclipsed his previous high for goals in a season (3) set in 2020-21 (26 GP).
• The 22-year-old had a career-best three-game point streak (1-2—3) from Nov. 21-25.
• On the PK, Dellandrea ranks second among Stars forwards in shorthanded TOI per game (2:34) and total shorthanded TOI (61:34). He also ranks second among forwards in hits (33) and blocked shots (17).
• Dellandrea scored his first goal of the season on Nov. 3 at Arizona (1-0—1) and recorded his first multi-point game of 2022-23 on Nov. 17 at Florida (1-1—2).
• Entering the 2022-23 season, the Toronto, Ontario native had five points (3-2—5) in 27 regular-season games from 2020-22.

NO ONE CAN STOP US OR SLOW US DOWN

• Defensemen Esa Lindell and Colin Miller are among the league’s leaders in plus-minus for defensemen.
• Lindell, who is +8 over his past eight games combined and has finished with a plus or even rating in 20 of his 24 games this season, shares fourth among league blueliners with a +15 rating.
• The Vantaa, Finland native tied his single game high with a +4 rating on Nov. 3 at Arizona.
• Lindell ranks third on the squad in hits (42) and blocked shots (33) and ranks second among Stars defensemen with eight points (2- 6—8) in 24 games.
• The 28-year-old matched a career-high with three points (1-2—3) on Nov. 13 at Philadelphia.
• Miller, who has finished with a plus or even rating in 19 of his 23 games this season, shares eighth among NHL d-men with a +13 rating.
• Miller is +6 over his past seven games and has points in four of the seven (0-4—4).
• Among team leaders, the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario native ranks fourth overall in hits (39) and shares fifth in blocked shots (22).