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Stanley Cup Playoffs: Wild have chance to dim Stars

By The Associated Press - | Apr 29, 2026

Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger looks on while Wild players celebrate during Tuesday night's Game 5 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series in Dallas. (AP photo)

DALLAS (AP) — Matt Boldy scored the tiebreaking power-play goal in the final minute of the second period, after having one taken away late in the first, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Dallas Stars 4-2 on Tuesday night for a 3-2 lead in their first-round Western Conference series.

Kirill Kaprizov scored an empty-net goal with two minutes left and had two assists, while Mats Zuccarello scored in his return from a three-game absence with an upper-body injury for the Wild. Michael McCarron also had a third-period goal.

The Wild go home for Game 6 on Thursday with a chance to advance to the second round for the first time since 2015. They have lost their last nine playoff series, including to Dallas in 2016 and 2023.

Jason Robertson had a goal with 3:21 left — after also scoring goals in each of the first four games — and assisted on Miro Heiskanen’s one-timer on a power play for the Stars, who made the Western Conference final each of the past three seasons.

Wild rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt had 20 saves, 11 in the third period.

Boldy, who had two goals in Game 1 and the overtime winner in Game 4 on a deflection Saturday, scored on a shot from the top of the circle to the left of goalie Jake Oettinger for a 2-1 lead with 32 seconds left in the second

Oettinger stopped 24 shots, including a sprawling save before the end of the second period.

There were only 13 seconds left in the first period when Boldy knocked the puck through on a power play. Dallas won its challenge for goalie interference, with replay showing Boldy made contact on his second-effort shot.

That was the third time in two games Boldy put a puck in the net that wasn’t a goal, but he still has four goals this postseason after 42 in the regular season. In Game 4, he had a goal waved off in regulation because of goalie interference, and another discounted in overtime because he made a kicking motion at the puck.

Zuccarello hadn’t played since having three assists in the Wild’s 6-1 win to open the series, when he also took an elbow to the head.

He had a quick impact in his return, scoring 3:51 in to the game after Kaprizov gathered the rebound of his initial up-close shot off Oettinger then slid the puck over the top of the crease to Zuccarello on the other side of net.

The Stars tied the game five minutes later when Heiskanen shot a one-timer from about 50 feet through the center of the ice.

OILERS 4, DUCKS 1

Leon Draisaitl scored a pair of goals and Evan Bouchard chipped in with three assists as the Edmonton Oilers staved off elimination.

The Oilers now trail the best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series 3-2 with game 6 on Thursday night in Anaheim.

Vasily Podkolzin and Zach Hyman also scored for the Oilers who had previously allowed six separate leads to slip away in the first four games of the series.

Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had a pair of assists. Edmonton is now 18-3 when scoring first in a game when facing elimination.

Alex Killorn scored for the Ducks.

Connor Ingram made 29 stops for Edmonton, while Ville Husso recorded 10 saves for Anaheim after coming in to relieve Lukas Dostal, who allowed three goals on nine shots.