Matt Boldy scored with 29 seconds left in overtime to give the Minnesota Wild a 3-2 win over the visiting Dallas Stars in Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round series on Saturday evening in St. Paul, Minn.
Boldy deflected a point shot from Jared Spurgeon into the net after it appeared to be headed wide.
The best-of-seven series is even 2-2 heading into Game 5 on Tuesday in Dallas.
Brock Faber had a goal and an assist, Marcus Foligno also scored and Jesper Wallstedt made 43 saves for the Wild, who dominated the series opener 6-1 before losing two in a row, including Game 3 at home in double-overtime.
“The last couple games we’ve faced some adversity,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “And we’ve been able to go over the boards each shift just focused on playing the right way.”
Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen scored power-play goals, Matt Duchene and Mikko Rantanen had two assists each, and Jake Oettinger made 40 saves for the Stars, who are 8-for-19 on the power play this series.
“We just couldn’t get any puck luck,” Dallas coach Glen Gulutzan said. “So, we’re going to have to start to get some sticks on some of those pucks.”
Robertson scored his fourth goal in four games on a rebound while on the first power play to give Dallas a 1-0 lead at 5:35 of the first period.
Faber became the first defenseman in Wild history to score three goals in a playoff series when he tied it 1-1 at 13:52 of the first.
Faber took a shot from the right point that clipped the glove of Heiskanen and was redirected into his own net.
Dallas was on its second power play when Duchene made a pass from below the goal line to Heiskanen above the left circle. He had room to skate to nearly the hash marks before beating Wallstedt under his left armpit for a 2-1 lead with 35 seconds left in the second period.
After getting outshot 17-5 in the second period, the Wild managed to tie it 2-2 at 14:40 of the third after a bouncing puck came off the end boards and got behind Oettinger. Foligno reached over Oettinger and swatted the puck across the goal line.
“Try moving that body in front of the net,” Minnesota forward Nico Sturm said of Foligno’s tying goal. “Like, good luck.”
Minnesota went 0-for-4 with the man-advantage and is 1-for-15 in the past three games.
–Field Level Media
