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Stars/Wild Notes: Wallstedt, Eriksson Ek, Pavelski

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With the Iowa Wild’s quick elimination from the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs, The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports the Minnesota Wild are expected to call up their complement of Black Aces today to be around the team while their playoff run continues. While most won’t be called up after Iowa’s exit meetings, Russo said that top goalie prospect Jesper Wallstedt has already been recalled and will serve as the third goalie behind the team’s tandem of Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury.

Wallstedt, 20, didn’t have the playoff performance he wanted in Iowa, recording a .897 save percentage in two overtime losses as Iowa lost their best-of-three series against the Rockford IceHogs. It doesn’t diminish what was a promising stretch run to the season for him, wrapping up his first pro season in North America with a .908 save percentage and a shutout in 38 games for Iowa. Selected 20th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, Wallstedt remains one of the best goalie prospects in the league and should gain valuable experience from being around the Minnesota team for the rest of their postseason.

  • After attempting to return from injury in Game 3 and skating just one shift, things aren’t looking up for the health of Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek. Head coach Dean Evason told reporters today Eriksson Ek hasn’t skated since his latest injury, as he’s still in the process of evaluation and “not close” to returning to the lineup. Eyes now turn to Sam Steel and Frédérick Gaudreau, who have both performed well so far in the series, to shoulder Eriksson Ek’s absence.
  • On the flip side, Dallas Stars winger Joe Pavelski continues to progress in his recovery after a hit in Game 1 that caused him to enter concussion protocol. Pavelski skated with the team today for the first time since the injury, and head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters Pavelski’s progressed in his recovery each day. It remains unclear whether Pavelski will return this series.

Joel Eriksson Ek Will Miss Game Four

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Saad Yousuf of The Athletic reports that Minnesota Wild coach Dean Evason has ruled center Joel Eriksson Ek out for their game four matchup against the Dallas Stars tonight. Evason didn’t give many more details about his availability for the rest of the series, but to say that he wouldn’t be playing this evening.

The 26-year-old Swede missed six games including games one and two of the Dallas series before he returned in game three where he played 19 seconds on the opening shift and left the game. Minnesota has yet to comment on whether Eriksson Ek re-aggravated his previous injury.

Eriksson Ek had an offensive breakout this season for the Wild this year scoring 23 goals and 38 assists in 78 games. His goal totals dipped from 26 to 23, however he demonstrated a different gear when it came to his playmaking. The former first round pick also continued the defensive excellence that has seen him garner Selke consideration the past two seasons.

Minnesota will have an opportunity to put the Stars on the ropes if they can capture game four and take a 3-1 series lead back to Dallas.

Joe Pavelski Will Not Travel With Stars

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The Dallas Stars evened up their series against the Minnesota Wild last night, exciting the hometown crowd with seven goals (including a four-goal second period). That was possible without one of their best players after Joe Pavelski was knocked out of game one by a massive hit from Matt Dumba. Now, as the series shifts to Minnesota for the next two games, it appears as though they’ll still have to battle without the veteran.

Pavelski will not travel with Dallas, according to team reporter Mike Heika. Head coach Pete DeBoer said he hopes Pavelski can return this series but won’t be involved in the next two games at least.

Though he doesn’t always get the same amount of press as other stars, Pavelski’s performance for Dallas has been incredible. At age 38 this season, he scored 28 goals and 77 points in 82 games, breaking the 1,000-point mark for his career. In fact, with 1,001 in 1,250 games, his career is starting to look more like that of a Hall of Famer, despite rarely getting much attention as one of the league’s best players. He’s never won an individual trophy, but has played in 169 career playoff games, already good enough for 56th all-time. His 126 postseason points put him 53rd, tied with Maurice Richard.

Despite last night’s win, that’s a huge piece to pull out of the Dallas lineup for two critical road games.

Wild/Stars Notes: Walker, Wild Injuries, Pavelski

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The Minnesota Wild recalled forward Sammy Walker from AHL Iowa this morning, per the team, adding some extra reinforcements to their playoff roster. He’s not expected to play tonight for Game 2 against Dallas, with coach Dean Evason telling reporters this morning that Walker’s recall is just the team “protecting itself” from any further injuries to their forward corps.

If he does suit up while on this recall, though, it will be the first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance for the 23-year-old. The free agent signing out of the University of Minnesota wrapped up his AHL regular season with 48 points in 56 games and will be a crucial absence for Iowa as they begin their playoff run. Walker earned nine games of NHL experience with Minnesota this season, recording his first NHL goal and assist.

  • Both Joel Eriksson Ek and Ryan Hartman practiced with the Wild this morning, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith. Hartman suited up in Game 1, scoring the double-overtime winner, but most watching the game would indicate he didn’t look at 100 percent health. Eriksson Ek, on the other hand, has missed nearly two weeks with a lower-body injury but could be ready to return sooner than expected. His return would be a gigantic boost for a Wild team that’s already stolen home ice in the series, giving the team a more well-balanced offensive attack between their first and second lines.
  • Dallas Stars head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters this morning that Joe Pavelski is “feeling better” after leaving Game 1’s loss due to a collision with Wild defender Matt Dumba, although he remains in concussion protocol. Pavelski will not suit up in Game 2 but has not been ruled out for a return during the series. In his absence, Tyler Seguin is expected to slide in on the top line alongside Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz.

Dallas Stars Recall Riley Tufte

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The Dallas Stars recalled left winger Riley Tufte from the AHL’s Texas Stars on Wednesday, the team said in a release.

This is the second recall of the season for the 25-year-old after playing three games with Dallas in December 2022. Drafted 25th overall in 2016, Tufte has never replicated the offensive potential he showed in high school through four seasons in Texas. However, he is enjoying a career year in the minors, recording 19 goals and 16 assists for 35 points with a +23 rating in 63 games.

Tufte comes up to the active roster with Joe Pavelski’s status for Game 2 of their First Round series against the Minnesota Wild in doubt. Pavelski exited the team’s Game 1 overtime loss after a hit from Wild defender Matt Dumba, which caused Pavelski to fall to the ice with head contact.

With the series taking an expected physical turn, Tufte could draw into the lineup ahead of Dallas’ extra forwards, Joel Kiviranta and Fredrik Olofsson. While Tufte has some goal-scoring upside, he is a power forward first and foremost and plays an extremely physical game, standing at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds.

Tufte does not have any NHL playoff experience and only 13 games of regular-season experience. He registered his first NHL goal last season in a 10-game stint.

No Supplemental Discipline Coming For Matt Dumba

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The Minnesota Wild scored an impressive overtime victory over the Dallas Stars last night, but some wondered whether they would lose a key defenseman for the next matchup. Matt Dumba’s huge hit on Joe Pavelski caused a ton of chatter across the hockey world, with some believing it was a clear suspension and others seeing it as a legal hit.

Greg Wyshynski of ESPN reports that the league falls in the latter category. There will be no supplemental discipline for Dumba, with Wyshynski’s NHL source saying it was “close to being late, but within [the] allowable window.”

Dumba earned a two-minute roughing penalty on the play after a review from the on-ice officials deemed it not worthy of a five-minute penalty.

Pavelski would play just over ten minutes, recording an assist before exiting with a head injury.

This is not the first time that the veteran forward has been involved in a controversial (and scary) playoff incident. In 2019, while still with the San Jose Sharks, he landed awkwardly on the ice after a faceoff against the Vegas Golden Knights as blood pooled under his head. The Sharks received a five-minute powerplay for that event, a decision that even Pavelski didn’t agree with in the light of day.

The Stars are now down a game and potentially without one of their leaders for a little while. Head coach Peter DeBoer explained last night that Pavelski was doing okay, but that he wasn’t confident about his status for game two.

PHR Playoff Primer: Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild

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With the start of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs just a few days away, PHR makes its first foray into playoff series analysis with our 2023 Playoff Primers. Where does each team stand in their series, and what storylines could dominate on and off the ice? We continue our look with the Central Division matchup between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild.

For the second time in their history, these two franchises linked at the hip will face each other in a first-round matchup. After losing in six games to the Stars in 2016, the shorthanded Wild are once again tasked with attempting to knock out the team that preceded them in the hockey capital of the United States.

Dallas has enjoyed their first 100-point season since defeating the Wild in 2016, while the Wild maintained their grip on a divisional playoff spot despite the absence of Kirill Kaprizov for much of the season’s last few weeks. Now likely without another important piece in Joel Eriksson Ek to start the series, though, Minnesota will need to continue their next-player-up mentality to avoid their seventh straight first-round loss.

Regular Season Performance

Dallas: 47-21-14, 108 points, +67 goal differential
Minnesota: 46-25-11, 103 points, +21 goal differential

Head-To-Head

December 4, 2022: Minnesota 6, Dallas 5 (SO)
December 29, 2022: Dallas 4, Minnesota 1
February 8, 2023: Minnesota 1, Dallas 4
February 17, 2023: Dallas 1, Minnesota 2 (SO)

Season series tied 2-2

Team Storylines

These two teams present an interesting matchup for an unusual reason: each team’s two biggest strengths may just cancel each other out.

Jason Robertson’s season needs no introduction. Not only did his 109 points finish tied for sixth in the NHL, but they also blew past Mike Modano’s Dallas single-season record of 93, set back in 1993-94, the team’s first year in Texas.

Unfortunately, he’s matched up against Kaprizov, who nabbed the Calder Trophy away from Robertson in 2021. Despite missing 15 games, Kaprizov potted 40 goals for a second straight season and played over 21 minutes per game.

Where Dallas pulls away in this matchup, at least on offense, is their center depth, especially with Eriksson Ek’s injury concerns. While the Wild cornerstone center is progressing faster than anticipated in his return from a lower-body injury, Dallas’ lineup down the middle of Roope Hintz, Max Domi (or Tyler Seguin), rookie Wyatt Johnston, and potential Selke contender Radek Faksa could prove tough matchups for Minnesota’s lacking center core.

The x-factor in Eriksson Ek’s absence will undoubtedly be Ryan Hartman, who’s still a top-six player but not the 34-goal scorer we saw last season. After putting up five assists in six playoff games against St. Louis last season, they’ll need similar playoff production from him between Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello to round out their depth.

Both teams also boast some of the best young goalies in the league, but they carry different degrees of certainty. Dallas knows what they’re getting in the postseason with 24-year-old Jake Oettinger, who nearly had one of the most incredible series steals in NHL history against Calgary last year with a .954 save percentage in a seven-game loss.

For the Wild, Filip Gustavsson, also 24, finished near the top of NHL leaderboards with a .931 save percentage and 2.10 goals-against average, albeit with only 37 starts compared to Oettinger’s 61. That’s because the battle-tested Marc-Andre Fleury remains an option for Minnesota after recording a .906 save percentage and a 2-3 record in five games against St. Louis last season.

Both teams boast stingy defenses, although Dallas’ actual results this season overpower that of Minnesota’s reputation. That’s not to discredit how well the Wild limited chances against this season — however, Dallas finished second in the NHL in expected goals against, per MoneyPuck, behind only the Carolina Hurricanes. If Dallas can impose their system against an already somewhat goal-starved Wild team, it could be another early exit for Minnesota.

Prediction

The Minnesota Wild are a good hockey team with distinct strengths. However, the Stars don’t provide an advantageous stylistic matchup for Minnesota’s first series win in eight years.

Dallas has had a better season at both ends of the puck and boasts the goalie with stronger recent playoff experience and more stamina as a starter. None of this includes the track record of first-year head coach Peter DeBoer, notorious for making deep playoff runs in his first seasons with a team.

Both teams play structured games, though, and it shouldn’t be a quick out for the Wild by any means. Dallas has the necessary advantages to pull out a series win, though, as they look to return to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in four years.

The prediction: Dallas wins in six games.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Stone, Bear, Murray

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It was a short week in the NHL, as the regular season came to a close, but there were still some fantastic performances around the league. The NHL announced its Three Stars for the week and Jason Robertson was atop the list as the league’s First Star of the final week of the regular season. The Dallas Stars winger played three games, scoring one goal and five assists for six points. This helped the 23 year old finish the season with 46 goals and 109 points.

In second and third place last week were Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns and Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Laurent Brossoit. Burns scored goals in all three of the Hurricanes games last week as they held off the New Jersey Devils for first place in the Metropolitan Division. He added a second goal against the Florida Panthers to give him four goals in three contests last week. Brossoit suited up for two games between the pipes for the Golden Knights and allowed just one goal in each game, winning them both while stopping 50 of the 52 shots he faced during the week.

  • Per a team release, Vegas Golden Knights Head Coach Bruce Cassidy mentioned Mark Stone has been cleared for contact. This is a step in the right direction for the star two-way winger as he tries to return from an injury that has kept him out of the lineup since January 12. Stone has been dealing with back issues for three months, but his status was changed to day-to-day today as he is now able to join his teammates for practice as a full participant. The Golden Knights begin their first round series with the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
  • Ethan Bear of the Vancouver Canucks was on Canucks Central radio show with Dan Riccio and Satiar Shah and spoke confidently about returning to the Canucks next season. Bear was acquired early in the season from the Carolina Hurricanes and will be a restricted free agent this offseason. He is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent if he is not given a qualifying offer of one year at $2.2MM but it sounds like Bear will be signing an extension without much drama involved. He openly stated he will be back and anyone worrying about the situation can relax. After being cast aside by the Hurricanes essentially as a cap dump, Bear played well for the Canucks and has deserved an extension to stay.
  • Chris Johnston of TSN reports Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Matt Murray has begun skating in recent days. Murray is recovering from a concussion suffered in an accidental collision on April 2. Murray has battled injuries most of the season, only suiting up for 26 games for the Maple Leafs. Even if he is healthy in time for Game 1 of the first round series with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Murray will likely serve as the backup to Ilya Samsonov who has been more consistent and reliable for the Leafs this season.

Mason Marchment Likely To Return For Stars

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Senior Staff Writer for the Dallas Stars, Mike Heika, is reporting that Mason Marchment will likely return to the Stars’ lineup on Thursday as they take on the St.Louis Blues for their season finale. The Stars have been without Marchment since their March 13th game against the Seattle Kraken.

Unfortunately for Dallas, they have been unable to see much action with those three on the same line. Since the trade deadline, the Stars have only been able to field a complete second line for three games. Although nothing has been confirmed from the team in regard to his activation, the addition of Marchment back into the lineup will make the Stars an even more difficult team to face in the first round.

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Mason Marchment Practices With Team, Expected Back Before End Of Season

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  • Stars winger Mason Marchment returned to practice for the first time yesterday as he works his way back from a knee injury, reports Saad Yousuf of The Athletic (subscription link). Head coach Peter DeBoer indicated that he’s hopeful that the 27-year-old will be able to play at least once before the playoffs start.  With Dallas in the middle of a three-way battle for seeding in the Central, his return would certainly be a welcome one.  Marchment has 12 goals and 19 assists in 67 games this season, his first in Dallas.

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