The 4-0 shutout could be a huge momentum shifter for both teams as momentum had been flowing back and forth. Now it appears to be clearly in Dallas’ corner. 

Minnesota gets to play on their own ice for a pivotal and potentially series-ending Game 6. Can the Wild force a Game 7 or will Dallas end it right here?

Stars vs. Wild NHL Playoffs Betting Odds

The Stars are 6-2 in their last eight games played on the road and 5-2 in their last seven when going up against another team with a winning record on the season. As for the total, the over has cashed out in five of the Stars’ last six games played on the road.  It’s also 7-2-1 in their last 10 games played on a Friday. 

The Wild are 2-5 in their last seven games overall and 2-7 in their last nine games when going up against a team with a winning record. They are 35-17 in their past 52 games played on a Friday, though. Maybe that’s a good omen for them. 

Dallas Stars

The Stars have taken the lead in this series for the first time after that 4-0 shutout win in Game 5. They put together multiple power play goals in Game 5 and apparently and dominating with the man-advantage was one of their biggest focuses ahead of this series. Head coach Pete DeBoer said, “Minnesota is one of the most penalized teams in the league, we knew we were going to get power plays. So, the goal was to make them pay for it.” 

Dallas’ special teams have now helped them earn wins in back-to-back games. More importantly, while they’ve had a tough time getting through Filip Gustvasson at even strength, they’ve had less problems when they have more space to work with. Gustavsson had allowed just three goals in total in the first two games; he’s allowed exactly three in Game 4 and Game 5, so it looks like the Stars have solved him.

It doesn’t hurt that Jake Oettinger is pitching shutouts. Oettinger stopped all 27 shots he faced and shut down three power plays for Minnesota to take the series advantage. Dallas looks like they finally understand how to beat the Wild. It’s just a matter of executing the game plan in Game 6.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild are certainly not happy that they were given a five-minute major early on in Game 5. Marcus Foligno connected with Radek Faksa knee-to-knee, officials reviewed it and determined that he’d be hit with a game misconduct along with a major. Minnesota watched the replay a number of times and feel as though their guy didn’t move, but Faksa moved, resulting in the collision. Regardless, the Wild – and Foligno especially – have to stay away from the penalty box. He had 15 penalty minutes in Game 5 and has a whopping 35 in the series. 

The Wild need a spark and while previously, it seemed unlikely that Marc-Andre Fleury gets back in net. However, Gustavsson, who shined in his first two starts in the series but has since struggled, has left the door open. It’s not as if he’s getting peppered with shots – he only faced 24 in Game 4 and 24 in Game 5 – but his save percentage in that span is .875. It’s likely we see him in net in Game 6 but he needs to play better or the Wild’s season will be over.

Game 6 Prediction: Who Will Win Stars vs. Wild?

STARS

Away

4

WILD

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