Four reasons the Wild can beat the Stars and end their lengthy playoff drought

DALLAS — The Minnesota Wild opened their Western Conference first-round series with a 6-1 victory over the Dallas Stars in Game 1 at the American Airlines Center, with Matt Boldy scoring two goals and an assist and rookie Jesper Wallstedt making 27 saves in his playoff debut. The result gave Minnesota a 1-0 series lead and sent the Stars into a Game 1 deficit as both clubs prepared tactical adjustments for Game 2 on Monday night in Dallas. The win underscored how different this Wild team is from recent postseasons: Minnesota arrives with deeper forward depth, a bolstered penalty kill and the high-end skill added by Quinn Hughes. A chippy regular-season meeting a week earlier hinted the series could be physical and intense, and Wild players have talked about the long motivation to finally get past the first round. Jesper Wallstedt’s recent run of strong starts and Boldy’s growing postseason impact were key factors in Game 1 and figure prominently as Minnesota seeks its first trip to the second round since 2015.