Minnesota Wild vs Dallas Stars Picks and Predictions for Monday April 20 2026
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The Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars return to the ice for Game 2 of their Western Conference First Round series on Monday, April 20, 2026, at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Puck drop is scheduled for 9:30 PM, and the game will be televised on ESPN. Minnesota comes into the night holding a 1-0 series lead after a convincing road win in the opener, while Dallas looks to answer on home ice before the series shifts. The betting line has the Wild at +114 on the moneyline and the Stars at -135, with Minnesota +1.5 at -238 on the puck line and Dallas -1.5 at +195. The total is set at 5.5 goals, with the over at -130 and the under at +110. Be ready for all the playoff action with our Free NHL picks.
Previous Game Recap
Minnesota opened the series with an emphatic 6-1 win over Dallas on April 18, taking control of the game early and never really letting the Stars settle in. The Wild led 1-0 after the first period, then broke the game open with three goals in the second before adding two more in the third. Dallas managed one goal in the middle frame, but there was no real push after that, and Minnesota closed out one of its strongest results of the recent stretch.
For Minnesota, the box score was filled with standout efforts. Matt Boldy delivered a huge performance with two goals and an assist while piling up eight shots on goal. Joel Eriksson Ek matched that scoring punch with two goals and an assist of his own, and Kirill Kaprizov added a goal with two assists in a strong all-around game. Ryan Hartman chipped in a goal and an assist, while Mats Zuccarello was one of the key setup men with three assists. On the back end, Quinn Hughes recorded an assist and finished with a strong plus-four showing, while Brock Faber also picked up an assist. In goal, Jesper Wallstedt turned aside 27 of 28 shots and gave Minnesota a steady performance from start to finish.
Dallas did not get the result it wanted, but there were still a few players who generated some offense in the loss. Jason Robertson scored the lone goal for the Stars and finished with six shots, clearly leading the attack. Wyatt Johnston added an assist and put four shots on net, while Thomas Harley also recorded an assist. Matt Duchene had three shots, and Mikko Rantanen added three more shots while logging heavy ice time. The Stars generated 28 shots overall, but Jake Oettinger faced a tough night in net, stopping 23 of 28 shots before the extra attacker was used late.
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bruce Marshall | +6,749.00 |
| 2 |  Bryan Power | +5,537.00 |
| 3 |  Tony Karpinski | +4,340.00 |
| 4 |  Pro Sports Picks | +3,905.00 |
| 5 |  The Gold Sheet | +2,237.00 |
Minnesota Brings Momentum Back to Dallas
Minnesota enters Game 2 with a 46-24-12 overall record and a 23-14-4 mark on the road. The Wild have been a bit up and down over their last five games, but the latest result changed the tone in a big way. They recently won over Dallas 6-1 and Anaheim 3-2, while they also recently lost to St. Louis 6-3, Nashville 2-1, and Dallas 5-4. That opener matters here because it not only gave Minnesota the series lead, it also showed that the Wild can win convincingly in this building.
The Wild averaged 3.27 goals per game during the regular season while allowing 2.87 goals per game. They produced 29.2 shots per game and allowed 29.4 shots per contest. On special teams, Minnesota recorded 65 power-play goals and converted at 25.2 percent, while allowing 43 power-play goals against and finishing with a 79.8 percent penalty kill. The Wild also scored seven shorthanded goals and did not allow any shorthanded goals.
One thing that stands out for Minnesota is its balance between offense and special-teams production. The Wild did not have the lowest goals against average in this matchup, but they still allowed under three goals per game while producing more than three goals per contest and posting a strong 25.2 percent power play. That combination gives them a steady profile, and it looked especially dangerous in the series opener.
Dallas Searches for a Cleaner Response at Home
Dallas comes into Game 2 with a 50-20-12 record and a 26-11-4 mark at home. Even with the Game 1 loss, the Stars still have four wins in their last five games overall. Before recently losing to Minnesota 6-1 in the opener, Dallas had recently won over Buffalo 4-3 in a shootout, Toronto 6-5, the Rangers 2-0, and Minnesota 5-4. That recent run shows that this team had been playing good hockey heading into the postseason, but now it has to rebound from a rough first playoff result.
The Stars averaged 3.33 goals per game and allowed 2.71 goals per game during the regular season. They generated 25.3 shots per game while giving up 26.2 shots per contest. Dallas was productive on the power play with 71 goals and a 28.6 percent conversion rate, while allowing 49 power-play goals against and posting an 80.3 percent penalty kill. The Stars also scored four shorthanded goals and, like Minnesota, did not allow a shorthanded goal.
The biggest strength for Dallas is the defensive side of its season-long profile paired with a dangerous power play. The Stars allowed just 2.71 goals per game, which is the best number in this matchup, and their 28.6 percent power play was also better than Minnesota’s. The weakness from Game 1 is obvious in the result itself, but the larger body of work still says this is a team capable of responding with a much tighter effort.
Minnesota Wild vs Dallas Stars Picks and Prediction
Side Pick
Pick: Dallas Stars Moneyline
Dallas is worth a look on the moneyline here because the season-long numbers still paint the Stars as a very solid home team with strong defensive results and an efficient power play. They finished 26-11-4 at home, allowed just 2.71 goals per game, and converted 28.6 percent of their power-play chances. Minnesota clearly dominated Game 1, but Dallas had also recently won over the Wild 5-4 and comes into this spot with four wins in its last five games overall despite the opener. The stronger home record and better defensive average make Dallas the side to take in Game 2.
Total Pick
Pick: Over 5.5
The opener flew over this number, and there is enough scoring potential in the provided data to support another game that gets past 5.5. Minnesota averaged 3.27 goals per game, while Dallas averaged 3.33. Both teams also had productive power plays, with the Wild at 25.2 percent and the Stars at 28.6 percent. Even though Dallas had a better goals against average over the season, the recent results for both teams show enough offense to make the over appealing, especially after these clubs combined for 11 goals in Game 1 and also played a 5-4 game on April 9.
Final Score Prediction: Dallas Stars 4 – Minnesota Wild 3
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