MINNESOTA WILD NOTES:
SERIES NOTES
DALLAS STARS
All-Time Wild Record: 37-39-13 (24-15-5 at Xcel Energy Center, 13-24-8 at Dallas)
2023-24: The Stars won the series-opening game, 8-3 (11/12) and the second meeting, 4-0 (1/8), both in St. Paul…RW Brandon Duhaime (1-0=1), C Vinni Lettieri (1-0=1) and RW Mats Zuccarello (1-0=1) have scored for the Wild…G Marc-Andre Fleury is 0-2-0 with a 6.00 GAA and a .780 SV% in two starts…LW Jason Robertson (3-1=4) and C Tyler Seguin (1-3=4) lead Dallas with four points each…LW Jamie Benn (0-3=3), C Wyatt Johnston (2-1=3), D Miro Heiskanen (0-3=3) and C Roope Hintz (1-2=3) all own three points…G Jake Oettinger saved 23-of-26 shots faced for the Stars in the first game…G Matt Murray stopped all 23 shots faced in the second game for Dallas.
WILD LEADERS: Zuccarello leads Minnesota with 21 points (5-16=21) in 25 games against Dallas…D Jared Spurgeon owns 19 points (6-13=19) in 43 contests…C Ryan Hartman has 14 points (7-7=14) in 29 matches…LW Kirill Kaprizov has 13 points (6-7=13) in nine contests.
WILD GOALIES: Fleury is 13-8-1 with a 2.52 GAA, a .915 SV% and one shutout in 22 starts vs. the Stars…G Filip Gustavsson is 3-1-0 with a 1.73 GAA and a .950 SV% in four starts…G Jesper Wallstedt has not faced Dallas.
STARS LEADERS: C Tyler Seguin leads Dallas with 49 career points (19- 30=49) in 43 games against Minnesota…LW Jamie Benn has 48 points (20-28=48) in 54 games…C Joe Pavelski owns 45 points (22-23=45) in 55 games…C Matt Duchene has 37 points (11-26=37) in 54 career games.
STARS GOALIES: Oettinger is 5-0-1 with a 2.49 GAA and a .913 SV% in eight career games (seven starts)…G Scott Wedgewood is 0-1-2 with a 3.25 GAA and a .887 SV% in four games (two starts).
FAST FACTS: Minnesota is 21-16-5 in the last 10 seasons (2013-23) against Dallas…The Wild is 4-5-1 in the last 10 games against the Stars at Xcel Energy Center…Minnesota has points in 11 of the last 20 games (9-9-2) played at American Airlines Center…Minnesota was defeated by Dallas in six games in the 2016 and 2023 First Round.
INJURIES
Jonas Brodin: upper body
Filip Gustavsson: lower body
Kirill Kaprizov: upper body
Vinni Lettieri: lower body
Jared Spurgeon: lower body
2023-24 Total Man Games Lost: 101
DALLAS STARS NOTES:
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Jan. 10 – Recalled G Matt Murray from Texas (AHL)
Jan. 9 – Loaned G Matt Murray to Texas (AHL)
INJURIES
Man-games lost, 2023-24: 25
NAME INJURY # OF GAMES DATES
C Roope Hintz Upper body 1 Oct. 12
C Radek Faksa Upper body 4 Nov. 1-6
C Matt Duchene Upper body 1 Nov. 6
D Thomas Harley Upper body 3 Nov. 14-20
C Craig Smith Illness 2 Nov. 22-24
C Roope Hintz Illness 1 Dec. 9
G Jake Oettinger Lower body 11 Dec. 16-pres.
D Miro Heiskanen Lower body 2 Jan. 6-pres.
TONIGHT’S GAME: Two nights after clashing in Saint Paul, the Stars and Wild battle it out tonight in Dallas at American Airlines Center. (6:30 p.m. CT, TNT, The Ticket 96.7-FM/1310-AM). This is the third and final game of the season between the Central Division rivals, which has seen the Stars take the first two by a combined score of 12-3. Dallas enters tonight’s matchup in third place in the Central Division with 51 points (23-11-5). Minnesota sits in seventh place in the Central with 38 points (17-18-4).
TALE OF THE TAPE
– The Stars are riding a nine-game point streak against the Wild dating to Dec. 20, 2021 (6-0-3) – the last time they’ve posted a point streak of that length against an opponent was against the Coyotes from March 31, 2016–Feb. 4, 2019 (9-0-0). – The Stars are 2-0-0 vs. the Wild this season, winning 8-3 in the series opener on Nov. 12, 2023 and 4-0 on Jan. 8. – Jason Robertson (3-1—4) and Tyler Seguin (1-3—4) pace the Stars in scoring vs. Minnesota this season with four points apiece in two games. – Dallas is 51-28-10 all-time vs. Minnesota, including a 31-8-6 mark at home. – Forward Tyler Seguin has 49 points (19-30—49) in 43 career games against the Wild. The only team he has recorded at least 50 points against is Jets/Thrashers with 54 points (29-25—54) in 48 contests. – Forward Joe Pavelski leads active Stars in goals (22) and ranks third in points (22-23—45) and fourth in assists (23) in a team-high 55 career games against the Wild. He also leads the club in power-play goals (7) and shares second in game winners (3) against them. – Captain Jamie Benn ranks second among active Stars in goals (20), assists (28) and points (20-28—48) in 54 career games vs. Minnesota. Benn also ranks first in game-winning goals (4) and second in power-play tallies (6) against the Wild. – Forward Roope Hintz enters tonight’s game with eight goals and 18 points (8-10—18) in 18 career games against them. – Forward Jason Robertson has nine goals and 16 points (9-7—16) in 10 games vs. Minnesota. – Forward Matt Duchene ranks third in assists (26) and fourth in points (11-26—37) and shares fourth in goals (11) in 54 career games vs. the Wild. – Forward Craig Smith shares fourth among active Stars in goals (11) and has 20 points (11-9—20) in 44 career games vs. the Wild. – Forward Mason Marchment has seven points (4-3—7) in seven career games against Minnesota. – Forward Sam Steel spent the 2022-23 season with the Wild, recording 10 goals and 28 points (10-18—28) in 65 regular-season games. He also scored his first career playoff goal and recorded the lone assist on Minnesota’s game-winning goal in a double overtime victory in Game 1 of the 2023 Western Conference First Round vs. Dallas. – Defenseman Miro Heiskanen has 13 assists and 14 points (1-13—14) in 16 career games against Minnesota. – Defenseman Ryan Suter enters tonight’s matchup with 12 points (3-9—12) in 36 games against his former club. – Goaltender Jake Oettinger is 5-0-1 with a 2.49 goals-against average and .913 save percentage in eight career appearances against his hometown team. – Netminder Scott Wedgewood is 0-1-2 with a 3.29 GAA and .897 SV% in four career appearances vs. Minnesota. – Goalie Matt Murray is 1-0-0 vs. Minnesota, earning his first career NHL shutout with a 23-save performance in Dallas’ 4-0 victory on Jan. 8.
