Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – The Minnesota Wild are moving on to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 11 years, and the blockbuster trade that brought Quinn Hughes to the State of Hockey is paying off in a big way.
The Wild beat the Dallas Stars 5-2 in Game 6 Thursday night at Grand Casino Arena to take the best-of-seven series 4-2. It’s Minnesota’s first playoff series win since 2015, when the Wild knocked off the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference First Round.
Hughes, acquired in a major mid-season deal, opened the scoring in the 1st period and added the game-winner midway through the 3rd, becoming the first defenseman in Wild franchise history to score a series-clinching goal. His 2nd of the night came at 10:38 of the 3rd period, when a wrist shot from the left face-off circle deflected off the skate of Dallas defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin and past goaltender Jake Oettinger to put Minnesota ahead 3-2.
Vladimir Tarasenko also lit the lamp for the Wild, scoring late in the 2nd period to tie the game after Dallas had taken a 2-1 lead on goals from Wyatt Johnston and Mavrik Bourque.
Matt Boldy iced the win with a pair of empty-net goals in the final 1:31 of regulation, at 18:29 and 19:45.
The win ends a run of three straight Western Conference Final appearances for the Stars and avenges last year’s 1st-round exit, when the Wild were eliminated in six games by the Vegas Golden Knights.
Minnesota now turns its attention to the Colorado Avalanche, who swept the Los Angeles Kings in the opening round. The Wild will face the league-leading Avalanche in the Western Conference Second Round.
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