Quinn Hughes Leads Wild to First Playoff Series Victory Since 2015, Beat Stars 5-2





Hughes Leads Wild to First Playoff Series Win in 11 Years. Quinn Hughes scored twice as the Minnesota Wild defeated the Dallas Stars 5-2 in Game 6 on Thursday night, securing their first playoff series victory since 2015.






Next Round: Wild vs. Presidents’ Trophy Winners

Minnesota will now face the Colorado Avalanche in the second round. The Avalanche, who won the Presidents’ Trophy this season, have not played since sweeping the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday.


Ending a Long Drought

The Wild won a playoff series for the first time in 10 attempts since their last series victory in 2015. They had previously lost to the Dallas Stars in the first round in both 2016 and 2023.


Emotional Moment for Fans

Goaltender Jesper Wallstedt, who stopped 22 shots in the victory, highlighted the significance of the win for the fan base.“I see our fans when we scored our fourth goal, I looked back through the glass and I see someone crying in the stands,” Wallstedt said. “I realize how big this is for our fan base. Not just us but there’s so many more people who are with us on this road and this journey. The excitement and joy to get past the first round is huge.”


Offensive Contributions

After Hughes broke a 2-2 tie midway through the third period, Matt Boldy scored his team-leading fifth and sixth goals of the series into empty nets to seal the victory. Vladimir Tarasenko also found the net for Minnesota.


Physical Presence from the Fourth Line

The Wild’s fourth line, featuring brothers Marcus and Nick Foligno along with Nico Sturm, delivered a strong physical effort with 15 of Minnesota’s 32 total hits in the game.



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