The Stars will look to escape Minnesota with a commanding series lead, while the Wild hope to even things up when these teams hit the ice at Xcel Energy Center for Game 4 on Wednesday as the Stanley Cup playoffs roll on.
Dallas took Games 1 and 2 at home, but Minnesota was able to get into the series when it shifted to Xcel Energy Center, earning a 5-3 victory Monday night. The Stars will look to win Game 4 in order to give themselves a chance to clinch on home-ice, while the Wild will hope to tie things up and ensure another game in their own building.
Minnesota overcame an early 2-0 deficit in Game 3 off of two goals from Patrick Sharp and was able to mount the comeback to put Dallas away. Jason Pominville scored two goals in the victory, while Chris Porter, Erik Haula and captain Mikko Koivu each found the back of the net once.
Colton Sceviour also scored for the Stars in Game 1, while Jamie Benn racked up his third assist of the series. The Wild snapped a six-game losing streak dating back to the regular season. Zach Parise (back) isn't expected to return for Game 4.
"We got our first win, now it's all about the next one and we [have to] get ready for that," Wild forward Mikael Granlund told NHL.com on Tuesday. "We played good last night, but that was only win No. 1 and it's all about the next one."
After allowing one goal through the first two games of the series, Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen yielded four tallies on 24 shots in Game 3. Playoff-tested Antti Niemi may replace Lehtonen in Game 4, but Dallas coach Lindy Ruff wasn't giving away his game plan.
"[I] don't want to overreact to a game that I feel, we make some adjustments, we talked about the mentality of a playoff series, we talked about the mentality of a team that was backed into a corner down 2-0," Ruff said via NHL.com. "Now I feel like, I really feel like we're in a playoff series now."
Devan Dubnyk is slated to stand between the pipes for Minnesota, after making 14 saves on 17 shots last game.
Game Preview & Live Stream
Details: Stars at Wild Game 4
Venue: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn.
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET (8:30 p.m. CT).
Radio: Dallas (KTCK 97.6); Minnesota (KFAN 100.3)
Prediction: Our predictions for this series can be found here.
Betting Odds: The latest betting odds can be found here.
Watch Online: This game can be live streamed for free here.
