Apr 18, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) watches a replay of a Minnesota Wild goal in the second period in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn ImagesThe Dallas Stars could never really get going in a 6-1 Game 1 loss against the Minnesota Wild at American Airlines Center on Saturday. Minnesota leads the series 1-0.

Stars lines Steel – Johnston – RantanenRobertson – Duchene – BourqueBäck – Hryckowian – BennErne – Faksa – BlackwellLindell – HeiskanenHarley – LundkvistBichsel – Myers OettingerDeSmithScratches: Bunting, Hyry, Lyubushkin, Petrovic, Capobianco, Bastian (injured), Hintz (injured), Seguin (SELTIR)Top story Game 1s, for good and for bad. The Stars have a history of falling in Game 1. Including tonight against Minnesota, they have dropped nine of their past 11 Game 1s to open a playoff series.

In there, have been some lopsided losses like this one, and others where they just didn’t have their best stuff, mixed in with some OT losses and close games. Tonight, they were clearly the inferior team for most of the game and lost by five goals. Okay, that’s all the bad stuff.

Purge! On the flip side, Dallas has won five of those nine series. They have gone on long playoff runs and come within a couple of wins of the Stanley Cup Final.

They have even dropped down in some series 2-1 and won three straight to turn it on its head. And even better, they are absolutely never out of any fight. If I have learned one thing above all else while covering this team for six seasons and watching them for 20 or more, it is that they can be incredibly frustrating, while also being incredibly determined to right their wrongs.

They get down, they start slow, they lose Game 1, they go down 3-2 in a series, whatever it is. Yet, pretty much without failure, they bounce back. They rise from the dead, get that important next goal, and find a way to come back and win a game or a series.

That’s the attitude this group has right now. Are they disapointed? Sure. Do they have plenty to work on to be better in Game 2? 100 percent.

But they also understand the highs and lows of the sports, especially in the playoffs, and they are fully confident they will have a much better performance on Monday night. Maybe I’m a fool, but I believe ’em.Live game notebook Period 1 Not only is the energy high inside the AAC, but the on-ice and in-arena presentation is awesome. Live view of players walking out of the tunnel projected onto the ice.

Love that. The pace is SO high. Everybody finishing checks. Dallas has the puck more here early on.

Not a ton actually on net, but created a bit of chaos with cycle and forecheck. Tyler Myers chicken wings Mats Zuccarello, taking an unnecessary penalty away from the puck. Minnesota works a PP breakout to perfection, then goes tick-tac-toe down low to Matt Boldy and quickly to the slot for Joel Eriksson Ek, who beats Jake Oettinger to the glove side.

Miro Heiskanen got a piece of the pass, but it still got there. Tough to allow the entry pass after outnumbering the puck carrier four to one, too. Don’t take penalties in this series.

MINNESOTA STRIKES FIRST‼️Joel Eriksson Ek gives the Wild the early lead on the power play 🔥 pic.twitter.com/dOBpVxDPDr— ESPN (@espn) April 18, 2026Jason Robertson looks like the best Stars skater so far. He has been flying, winning battles, and looks confident with the puck. Jamie Benn tried to curl up the wall after entering the zone, but fell.

But he made a nice play to dive and knife the puck down the wall because four Wild skaters were heading up ice to start 4-on-2 the other way. Sometimes, those “boring” plays make a huge difference. Don’t be the one to make the big mistake.

Oettinger makes a big-time left pad save in tight after Vladimir Tarasenko made a slick pass off the wall to Danila Yurov. Mikko Rantanen gets a chance on one end, but takes a high-sticking minor on the other. Massive PK for Dallas here in the final 90 seconds of the period.

Oettinger with another good save, moving right to left on a perfectly executed set entry play from Minnesota. Zuccarello’s vision is absurd. Got a Jake there 🧱 pic.twitter.com/eumkdi5enn— x – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) April 18, 2026Not a bad period from Dallas.

But Minnesota has to really like how it played. They weathered a bit of Dallas pressure early, killed off the Stars only PP, scored on their own PP, and shifted the scoring chances 5v5 in their favor as the period ended. And, exhale.Wild 1, Stars 0Period 2Stars killed off the remaining seconds of the Wild PP, but Kirill Kaprizov absolutely picked a corner shortside on Oettinger shortly after.

Thomas Harley looked to be waiting for support as Kaprizov skated in from the top of the circle, trying to stay home in front of the net. But Wyatt Johnston was too far away, Rantanen didn’t get back enough on the backcheck, and nobody got there to contest one of