Jesper Wallstedt recorded 27 saves in his NHL playoff debut as the Minnesota Wild defeated the Dallas Stars 6-1 on the road in Game 1 of their first-round series. The win gives Minnesota a 1-0 series lead. Wallstedt earned honors as the game's top player.
The Wild jumped to a strong start, with Joel Eriksson Ek scoring twice. Matt Boldy added two goals and an assist, while Mats Zuccarello provided three assists. Kirill Kaprizov collected three points, tying Zach Parise's franchise playoff record of 16 goals for Minnesota. Jason Robertson scored the Stars' lone goal in a match where Dallas struggled to keep pace after Minnesota pulled ahead. Joel Eriksson Ek reflected on the performance: “I think we played pretty well today. Next game is a new game, so we have to do this over and over. We know they're probably not too happy with this game, so I'm sure it will be tough next time.” Wallstedt, who led Swedish goaltenders in regular-season save percentage at 91.6% over 35 games, admitted to pre-game nerves. “I was definitely nervous. I think it shows that it means something. I like to be a bit nervous and think it's something good. There were definitely nerves during the day and a bit extra when the game started. But when the national anthem was over and the first pucks started coming, it was calm,” he said.
