The Dallas Stars have their backs against the wall heading into Game 6 against the Minnesota Wild. Minnesota won Game 5 to take an enormous 3-2 series lead. Yet one more loss will see Jamie Benn and the Stars eliminated from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Stars have the talent to make a deep run. In truth, they’ve made deep runs in each of the last three seasons. Dallas has been a Western Conference Finalist every year during this run. They’ve the experience, but Benn identified an important adjustment this team might want to make in Game 6.
“Put more pucks on net,” Benn said, via NHL.com. “Keep shooting the puck. You get a likelihood, rip it. Normally, if you try this, good things occur, even when it doesn’t go in. You will get a rebound, start some chaos and we’ll try to do this a bit of bit more in Game 6.”
The Stars lost Game 1 of this series against the Wild in blowout fashion. Dallas then responded by winning the following two contests to take a 2-1 lead. Nonetheless, they’ve since allowed the last two games to slide through their fingers.
Dallas fully expects to challenge for the Stanley Cup this season. Making the playoffs is definitely one step toward that goal. But a first-round exit can be an enormous disappointment for a team with the type of track record.
The Wild and Stars have the whole lot left to play for, and each teams have little margin for error. These teams hit the ice on Thursday night in Minnesota for an important Game 6.
The Dallas Stars have their backs against the wall heading into Game 6 against the Minnesota Wild. Minnesota won Game 5 to take an enormous 3-2 series lead. Yet one more loss will see Jamie Benn and the Stars eliminated from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Stars have the talent to make a deep run.