Dallas Stars' Game 1 woes continue in loss to Minnesota Wild

The Stars have now lost Game 1 in 9 of their last 11 playoff series, continuing a troubling pattern for the home team at American Airlines Center.

Apr. 19, 2026 at 2:50am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A cubist, geometric painting depicting a hockey game in motion, with fragmented shapes and planes representing the ice, players, and equipment, conveying the chaotic energy of the sport.The Stars' inability to win Game 1 at home has become an alarming trend, putting them in early series deficits despite their status as a perennial playoff contender.Dallas Today

The Minnesota Wild defeated the Dallas Stars 6-1 in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series, continuing a troubling trend for the Stars of losing Game 1 at home. This marked the 9th time in the last 11 playoff series that Dallas has dropped the opening game, despite being a veteran team with championship aspirations. Goaltender Jake Oettinger struggled, allowing 4 goals through the first two periods, though coach Glen Gulutzan defended his netminder and instead pointed to the team's special teams and 5-on-5 play as areas needing improvement.

Why it matters

The Stars have built a reputation as a perennial playoff contender, reaching the Western Conference Finals in each of the last three seasons. However, their inability to win Game 1 at home has consistently put them in an early series hole, forcing them to play from behind. This pattern raises questions about the team's mental toughness and ability to handle the pressure of the postseason, especially with their championship window seemingly open.

The details

The Wild opened the scoring on the power play in the first period, with Mats Zuccarello and Matt Boldy setting up Joel Eriksson Ek for the 1-0 lead. Minnesota then scored three more unanswered goals in the second period to take a commanding 4-0 advantage. Jason Robertson scored a power-play goal late in the second to cut the deficit to 4-1, but that was as close as the Stars would get. Rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt made 27 saves for the Wild, while Oettinger allowed 4 goals on 19 shots before the game was halfway over.

  • The Wild's last playoff win was on April 17, 2023, when they beat the Stars.
  • The Stars have now lost Game 1 in 9 of their last 11 playoff series.
  • The Stars' Game 1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche last year extended their streak to 8 straight Game 1 losses.
  • The Stars snapped that streak with a semifinal round win against the Winnipeg Jets and a Western Conference final win vs. the Edmonton Oilers.
  • Game 2 of this series will be played on Monday.

The players

Jake Oettinger

The Stars' starting goaltender, who allowed 4 goals on 19 shots through the first two periods before the coach decided not to pull him.

Glen Gulutzan

The Stars' head coach, who defended Oettinger's performance and instead pointed to the team's special teams and 5-on-5 play as areas needing improvement.

Mats Zuccarello

The Wild forward who assisted on the opening goal of the game.

Matt Boldy

The Wild forward who assisted on the opening goal of the game.

Joel Eriksson Ek

The Wild forward who scored the opening goal of the game on the power play.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“It's a long series, it's a best of seven and it's one game. We have to be better than that but we there's a good chance to win this one still. It's just one game but we have to be better. We have to move on and get back to it.”

— Miro Heiskanen, Stars defenseman

“Nothing for me was on our goaltending. For me, it was certainly on our specialty teams needing to be better and our 5-on-5 play wasn't good enough.”

— Glen Gulutzan, Stars head coach

“We didn't get our forecheck rolling that's for sure. That's why they were quickly getting pucks out of their [defensive] zone, and we only started to that basically in the third and at the end of the second period. That's definitely one thing; we want to make them defend more because they were kind of on us for sure for most of the second period.”

— Mikko Rantanen, Stars forward

What’s next

The series resumes Monday with Game 2, where the Wild will look to take a 2-0 series lead or the Stars will aim to even the series before heading to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4.

The takeaway

The Stars' inability to win Game 1 at home has become an alarming trend, putting them in early series deficits despite their status as a perennial playoff contender. This latest loss raises questions about the team's mental toughness and ability to handle the pressure of the postseason, especially with their championship window seemingly open.