After enduring a few scary moments in the second, the Stars turned on the extra gear to take a 3-2 game in Minnesota and send the series back to Dallas up 3-1.
Stars vs. Wild 2016 final score: A crazy second period falls Dallas’ way in a 3-2 victory
The Stars bring their first-round series back to Dallas up 3-1.
Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
An eventful, if scoreless, first 20 minutes saw 19 shots put up on the board between the two teams, with the Stars holding the 10-9 edge after one period.
The second period, however, saw five goals scored from five different players as the Stars took a 3-2 edge over the Wild. Jason Pominville's third goal of the series opened the scoring as his skate deflected Nino Niederreiter's shot past goaltender Antti Niemi glove side.
Ales Hemsky’s screened shot on the power play evened the game at 1-1 four minutes after Pominville’s tally. The Stars went 2-for-2 on the power play in the second, aided by strong puck movement and quick decision-making.
A minute later, Charlie Coyle struck back on one of the best examples of hand-eye coordination we've seen in these playoffs, as he batted down his own pass on a breakaway to give the Wild the 2-1 lead.
But the Stars would not be denied, scoring the next two in quick succession to even it up and then take the lead 3-2. Patrick Eaves deflected a Kris Russell shot on the power play that evened the score, and moments later off the rush, the skate of Jason Spezza put the Stars up on a deflection that eluded Devan Dubnyk.
Dubnyk allowed three goals on seven shots in the second period.
The third period was played almost exclusively in the Stars’ end as the Wild tried to tie the game. Even with a late power play for the Wild, Niemi stood tall through 14 shots and held the game to a 3-2 score.
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