For the first time since 2015 the Minnesota Wild are hoping to make it out of the first round of the NHL Playoffs. It’s a long curse that just about everyone in the State of Hockey is ready to see end, but of course the year the team has its best roster in years the matchup is one of its hardest.
Minnesota needs to get through the Dallas Stars, the second-best team in the Western Conference, with a matchup against the Colorado Avalanche looming if all goes well (assuming the Avs can beat the Kings which seems very likely). That’s a brutal draw considering there’s still another game before getting to the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.
We have to walk before we run, though, which means getting through what is sure to be an absolutely bonkers series against Dallas.
Here’s everything you need to know to catch Game 1 action on Saturday afternoon:
- Date: Saturday, April 18th
- Start Time: 4:30 pm CT
- TV Channel: ESPN
- Announcers: Bob Wischusen, Erik Johnson
- Radio: KFAN 100.3 FM
- Live Stream: ESPN+ | Fubo
It looks like ESPN will be getting the first two games of the series while TNT is getting the third and fourth games with the remaining “if necessary” games being TBD as far as when and where they’ll air.
Based on how things went between the Stars and Wild this year, those extra games will absolutely factor into things. Physicality will be amped up beyond even what we saw earlier in the season, and for the first time the Wild have the muscle to match Dallas and bully them around.
Acquiring Michael McCarron at the trade deadline and having Yakov Trenin set a single-season franchise record for hits is exactly the type of heaviness the Wild need. They have the superstar talent of Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes and guys like Brock Faber and Matt Boldy are hitting their stride alongside veteran Vladimir Taresenko, which in addition to the goaltending of Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson, gives Minnesota it’s best chance to get out of the first-round in years.
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