On the evening of April 24, 2016, the Minnesota Wild were officially eliminated in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Dallas Stars, formerly the Minnesota North Stars. They join the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles, Kings, New York Rangers, and Philadelphia Flyers.
They are survived by Chris Stewart and Clayton Stoner of the Anaheim Ducks; Cal Clutterbuck and Marek Zidlicky of the New York Islanders; Matt Cullen and Kyle Brodziak of the Pittsburgh Penguins; Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks; and Eric Nystrom of the Washington Capitals. Wild fans can dig for those throwback sweaters.
As the Wild were the second wild card in the Western Conference, they faced the Central Division champions and rival, the Stars. The Wild had a difficult road ahead of them as they entered the playoffs without Zach Parise, Thomas Vanek, and Erik Haula. Fortunately, Haula was able to return for Game 2, but Parise and Vanek were not as fortunate.
To start the series, many thought the Stars would sweep the Wild when they lost the first two games. However, the Wild were able to win Game 3, their first playoff win since Game 6 of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which eliminated the St. Louis Blues before being swept by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round.
The Wild kept the series close, with the exception of the 4-0 blowout in Game 1, as Games 2, 4,5 and 6 were all one-goal games. Game 5 was a thrilling overtime win for the Wild. Mikko Koivu scored the game-winner in less than five minutes of bonus hockey.
Game 6 was also a close, suspense-filled game. The Stars were leading 4-0 heading into the third period, and many fans had already thrown in the towel believing the Stars would easily eliminate the Wild in the next 20 minutes. The Wild had other plans in mind and gave a heroic hail-Mary effort.
The Wild scored three goals within the first nine minutes of the third period to bring them back within a goal for a tie to force overtime. The Stars got one past goaltender Devan Dubnyk to make it 5-3, but they Wild responded with a goal from Jason Pominville to again only trail by one. After pulling Dubnyk for the extra attacker, the Wild seemed to tiet the game with five minutes just 33 seconds left on the clock. However, the goal was disallowed upon video review because the puck did not fully cross the goal line. A heart-breaking but thrilling end to the Wild’s campaign for the Stanley Cup.
Crossbar camera view of just how close @mnwild came to tying the game late in Game 6 vs. @DallasStars. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/t3YK4luLFy
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 24, 2016
Another odd goal that did not go the Wild’s way came in Game 2. The Stars had been leading the Wild 1-0, when this bizarre play happened. As Antoine Roussel skated behind the net, the puck deflected off his skate and back over the net, eventually ending up as a goal. Initially, the goal was waved off since the net became dislodged. There was also some question as to whether the puck had been kicked into the net, rather than from deflection. After some review in the Situation Room in Toronto, the goal was deemed good, and the Stars took a two to nothing lead. Although the Wild eventually lost that game, Marco Scandella was the first Wild to score in the series for the team’s only goal.
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What hurt the Wild the most this series was not having Parise and Vanek who were out with upper-body injuries. During the season, Parise was the second point leader, behind Koivu, but the top goal-scorer for the team with 25 goals and 28 assists for 53 points. Vanek was their fourth top goal-scorer with 18 goals and 23 assists for 41 points. Not having these two forwards was a huge impediment, especially when facing the offensively-charged Stars.
Pominville, Koivu, and Nino Niederreiter were the brightest spots for the team in the postseason. Pominville lead both in goals and points with four goals and three assists for seven points. Koivu was second in goals with three goals and two assists for five points. Niederreiter was second in points with one goal and five assists for six points.
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