Ryan Hartman scored 12:20 into the second overtime to give the visiting Minnesota Wild a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series on Monday.
Kirill Kaprizov and Sam Steel also scored for the Wild, while Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson tallied for Dallas.
The Stars outshot the Wild 53-48, with Minnesota’s Filip Gustavsson making 51 saves, including 26 in the overtimes, and Dallas’ Jake Oettinger recording 45, including 12 after regulation.
After a scoreless third period and first overtime, Hartman corralled a loose puck in the Dallas zone before wristing a forehand past Oettinger to end the longest playoff game in Wild franchise history. It was his first career playoff OT goal, and Steel added an assist on the play.
Trailing 1-0 entering the second period, the Stars tied the game on the power play. Jamie Benn won the faceoff in the Minnesota zone and slid the puck to Hintz, who wristed a shot past Gustavsson at the 2:08 mark.
Dallas struck again on the power play just over two minutes later. Joe Pavelski won a faceoff in the Wild’s zone and flipped the puck to Miro Heiskanen, who found Robertson parked along the left wing. Robertson took advantage of several players in front of the goal and wristed a low shot past Gustavsson for a 2-1 lead at the 4:13 mark.
Pavelski was helped off the ice midway through the second period after taking a high hit from Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, who received a roughing penalty. Pavelski — the Stars’ third-leading scorer with 77 points — didn’t return after hitting his head and left shoulder on the ice upon his fall.
The Wild tied the game when Gustav Nyquist’s pass sprung Steel on a breakaway, with Steel sliding a forehand shot past Oettinger with 5:35 left in the second period.
The Wild took a 1-0 lead on the power play with 48 seconds left in the first period when Kaprizov deflected Jared Spurgeon’s wrist shot from the point past Oettinger. Mats Zuccarello was also credited with an assist on the goal.
Game 2 is Wednesday in Dallas before the series shifts to Minnesota for Game 3 on Friday.
–Field Level Media
