Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild Prediction: Will the Stars level the score?

Prediction for the NHL Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild match, which will take place on April 20. Check the team conditions and choose several betting options.

In the first game, the Stars conceded at the end of the first period. In the second period, Peter Debure's team quickly managed to restore the balance and take the lead. Dallas also took over on the power play (twice), with Ruupe Hintz and Jason Robertson scoring. Minnesota leveled the score before the end of the second period, but in the third period, there were no goals, and the game went into overtime, where the Wild were stronger - Ryan Hartman scored the winning puck with an assist from Sam Steele. Thus, Dallas lost their home-ice advantage and now has to win on the road to win the series.

It took Minnesota the rest of the regular season to learn how to play defense, and we have to say that they succeeded. In the first game against the Stars, the team didn't concede once, and it's far from certain that this situation will change in the series going forward. The Wild are excellent defensively, and they'll move on if they can improve their penalty kill. As a result of the first game, we should separately mention Erik Gustavsson with 51 shots on goal, Sam Steele with 1+1 goal+pass, and Kirill Kaprizov with a nice scoring touch. The Russian's return from injury will be a big help for Minnesota in this playoffs.

The battle between Dallas and Minnesota promises to be one of the most challenging series in the first round. The opponents are pretty evenly matched and will likely play seven games. In that regard, a second straight win for the Wild over the Stars would be unlikely. Dean Evasson's team has already met their goal of regaining home-court advantage in the first game. They could lose concentration in the second game, and the overly motivated opponent will surely take advantage of it. Our money is on Dallas, and we expect a more or less productive encounter - after a hard-fought battle with overtime in game one, the opponents may not be strong enough to defend effectively in game two.