ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Matt Boldy scored on a deflection with 28.9 seconds left in the first overtime and the Minnesota Wild beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Saturday in Game 4 on Saturday to tie the first-round
NHL playoff series.
Jared Spurgeon took a shot that Boldy, unmarked in front of the net, tipped with his stick shaft to guide the puck past goalie Jake Oettinger after the Wild lost Game 3 in double overtime.
Boldy, who had a goal waved off in regulation when teammate Joel Eriksson Ek pushed Miro Heiskanen into Oettinger and another discounted in overtime because he made a kicking motion at the puck, has three goals in the series.
Game 5 is in Dallas on Tuesday night.
Marcus Foligno tied it for the Wild on a second-effort tip-in with 5:20 left in the third period, and Jesper Wallstedt made 43 saves.
Jason Robertson and Heiskanen scored on the only two regulation power plays for the Stars, who continued their special teams mastery of the Wild and are 8 for 19 in the series.
Oettinger stopped 40 shots in another steely performance in his home state.
Brock Faber had the first goal for the Wild, who were again without first-line right wing Mats Zuccarello due to an upper-body injury that occurred in Game 1 and felt his absence on their flagging power play. The Wild were 0 for 4 in regulation, with just one goal in their last 15 opportunities.
Seconds after a near-miss by Wyatt Johnston during a scrum around the Wild goal, Nico Sturm's shot took a fluky bounce off the end boards toward the goal mouth as Foligno jarred it loose from Oettinger and poked it in as he tumbled over the top of the goalie's shoulder.
The power-play disparity has been the difference, much like in the first round in 2023 when Dallas downed Minnesota in six games.
Ryan Hartman, long one of the Wild's most-penalized players, was whistled for goaltender interference just 4:31 into the game. Robertson responded by snapping in a rebound after Matt Duchene — who has seven points in four games — muscled a shot from just outside the crease that ricocheted off Wallstedt.
The Stars, who are playing without top center Roope Hintz, have managed to get shots through the screens and attack the net far more effectively.
After the Wild had two empty power plays in the first period with just three seconds between them, the home crowd that has seen this script many times before booed the last group off the ice.
Even strength is where the Wild must live if they're going to mount a comeback. They're up 9-4 in 5-on-5 goals, including Faber's wrister that tied it later in the first period by glancing off Heiskanen's glove.
Wallstedt has been a bulwark all series. The Wall of St. Paul thwarted plenty more prime chances, but playing 4-on-5 doesn't help. After Faber took a high-sticking penalty, Heiskanen zipped a shot from the slot that eluded Wallstedt's shoulder and scraped the top of the net.
Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist left during the second period after taking an inadvertent skate to the face by Michael McCarron as Lundkvist was being called for tripping McCarron.
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
