Wild Guaranteed to Open Playoffs on the Road Against Dallas

Minnesota's loss and Dallas' win on Saturday clinched the matchup, with the Stars holding home-ice advantage.

Apr. 12, 2026 at 1:23am

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a hockey game between the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars, with the players and action broken down into sharp, overlapping planes of color and shape.The upcoming playoff series between the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars promises to be an intense, evenly-matched divisional rivalry.Dallas Today

The Minnesota Wild have officially clinched a playoff spot, but they will have to open the postseason on the road against the Dallas Stars. After Minnesota lost to Nashville and Dallas defeated the Rangers on Saturday, the Stars now hold a six-point lead over the Wild with two games left in the regular season, securing home-ice advantage for their first-round playoff series.

Why it matters

The Wild-Stars matchup is an evenly-matched divisional rivalry, so home-ice advantage could play a significant role. Minnesota now has to decide whether to rest key players in their final two regular-season games to ensure they're healthy for the playoffs, or keep their starters fresh.

The details

With the Wild's loss and the Stars' win on Saturday, Dallas now holds a 108-102 points advantage over Minnesota with just two games left. The Stars also own the regulation victories tiebreaker, so the Wild cannot catch them in the standings. As a result, Games 1, 2, 5, and 7 of the first-round playoff series will be played in Dallas.

  • On Thursday, the Wild lost 2-1 to the Stars.
  • On Saturday, the Wild lost 2-1 to the Predators, and the Stars defeated the Rangers 2-0.
  • The Wild have two games left in the regular season: at St. Louis on Monday and at home against Anaheim on Tuesday.

The players

Kirill Kaprizov

A star forward for the Minnesota Wild.

Matt Boldy

A young forward for the Minnesota Wild.

Quinn Hughes

A defenseman for the Minnesota Wild.

Brock Faber

A defenseman for the Minnesota Wild.

Joel Eriksson Ek

A center for the Minnesota Wild.

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What they’re saying

“The playoffs start on the weekend of April 18-19, so resting players could be beneficial without making them rusty through an extended break.”

— Joe Nelson, Author

What’s next

The Wild will have to decide whether to rest key players in their final two regular-season games to ensure they're healthy for the playoffs against the Stars.

The takeaway

The Wild-Stars playoff matchup is an evenly-matched divisional rivalry, and home-ice advantage could be a significant factor. Minnesota now has to weigh the benefits of resting players versus keeping them fresh for the postseason.