Round 1, Game 5 / IF NECESSARY
Time is TBD
Your Dallas Stars are headed to the postseason for a fifth straight year, 21st time since relocating to Dallas in 1993-94 and 38th time in franchise history! The 2026 playoffs will be presented by Choctaw Casinos & Resorts, Kia, and On Time Experts.
The National Hockey League has announced that Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round series between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild will begin at 4:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 18 at the American Airlines Center.
Dallas and Minnesota will play their third head-to-head playoff series following six-game wins by Dallas during the 2023 and 2016 First Round. The most-recent matchup was capped by Jake Oettinger ousting the Wild in his home state and Wyatt Johnston scoring the first of his three career series-clinching goals, which are tied with Al MacAdam and Mike Modano for the most in franchise history entering the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Dallas has made it to the Conference Finals in each of the past three postseasons. The Stars will look to become the third team in the past 40 years to reach the Conference Finals in four straight playoffs, following Colorado and Detroit.
The Stars have earned six series wins since 2023, the third most among all teams behind Florida and Edmonton.
Mikko Rantanen, who achieved multiple NHL firsts with his hat trick in Game 7 of the 2025 First Round and followed that up with another three-goal performance in Game 1 of the Second Round, ranks fourth among active players in points per game in the playoffs. The only players with a higher average are Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Nathan MacKinnon, all of which Rantanen and the Stars could meet en route to a Stanley Cup run in 2026.
