The Dallas Stars ran out of gas as the Minnesota Wild kept their hopes alive

The Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild faced off in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this evening in St. Paul. It was a closely contested game from the opening puck drop to the final buzzer. It was so tense that you could probably hear a pin drop after every shot on goal this evening. The Dallas Stars ended up losing 3-2 in overtime as Matt Boldy scored the game-winner and helped the Wild keep their playoff hopes alive. Dallas now has to reclaim the series lead again on Tuesday.

The Stars losing came at a cost. Nils Lundkvist took a skate blade to the face near the end of the second period, and I'm not going to post the replay on here. It's way too nasty to show on our social media channels or our article. All I know is the Stars might be calling up someone from Cedar Park if Nils is not allowed to play on Tuesday. Dallas might be in some trouble if the Here are the four takeaways from the game this afternoon.

Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild Recap: 4. Heck of a defensive stand

The Refs made sure to call a tight game after the chaos that ensued between the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators. The Stars had back-to-back penalties that they killed off without any problem. The Stars have a solid penalty kill percentage in this series, and it's the main reason why the Stars have done well in preventing the Wild from scoring on the power play in this series, even though Brock Faber tied it on a lucky deflection. It was a heck of a defensive stand by the Stars to begin the game.

Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild Recap: 3. Little surprised how quiet Moose was today

Usually, Mikko Rantanen is very adamant in pivotal playoff games, and he was shocked that he finished with two assists this afternoon. I would think Rantanen would want to really make a statement to help put the Stars in a 3-1 commanding series lead. Rantanen needs to show up in the next series if the Stars advance to the second round of the playoffs. With the way Logan Stankoven is playing right now, it's starting to look like the Carolina Hurricanes won that trade.

Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild Recap: 2. Perfect power play

The Dallas Stars have been perfect on the power play this evening, even though they lost the game in overtime. Jason Robertson scored the first one, followed by Miro Heiskanen at the end of the second period. The Stars have had issues in the past capitalizing on the power play during the postseason. Good job by the Stars for attacking the net on the power play and capitalizing today. It's just unfortunate the Stars couldn't get a power play in overtime or score at even strength.

Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild Recap: 1. I hope Nils will be okay

I don't even think I can watch that Nils Lundkvist replay again. Nils took a skate blade to the face and immediately went down the tunnel to the locker room. He didn't return to the game even in overtime. That was really scary to see on TV, and I hope he's going to be okay. Don't be surprised if the Stars decide to call up a player from the Texas Stars if he's not able to play on Tuesday. Dallas now heads back to Texas as they get ready to take on the Wild in Game 5 of their playoff round on Tuesday night.

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