DALLAS — The Wild are keeping their Game 1 lineup vs. the Stars under wraps.
"We're going to make decisions game by game, including our starting goaltender," coach Dean Evason said on Monday. "Could be different every game. Could be the same. We've talked about that a lot this year. Everybody knows how we've handled our goaltenders, and that'll be the same. But no different with our lineups, as well."
Filip Gustavsson was the first goaltender off the ice during the team's morning skate at American Airlines Center, which usually indicates the night's starter.
Gustavsson ended the regular season with the second-best goals-against average (2.10) and save percentage (.931) in the entire NHL. He went 1-1 against Dallas, posting a 1.97 goals-against average and .939 save percentage.
Joel Eriksson Ek (lower-body injury) also skated but was not among the early exits. Still, that's three days in a row he's been skating since he was sidelined by a shot block on April 6 at Pittsburgh.
John Klingberg didn't get on the ice after suffering a lower-body issue during practice on Saturday. The Wild had Jon Merrill step into that spot alongside Brock Faber, who is poised to make his playoffs debut just three games into his NHL career.
"He's been a captain on his team," Evason said. "He's a very mature person. He plays the game in a mature way, but he conducts himself off the ice the same way."
Projected lineup:
Kirill Kaprizov-Ryan Hartman-Mats Zuccarello
Marcus Johansson-Frederick Gaudreau-Matt Boldy
Gus Nyquist-Sam Steel-Marcus Foligno
Brandon Duhaime-Connor Dewar-Ryan Reaves
Jake Middleton-Jared Spurgeon
Jonas Brodin-Matt Dumba
Jon Merrill-Brock Faber
Filip Gustavsson
Key numbers:
2-2: Record for the Wild in the regular season against Dallas.
5: Points for Gus Nyquist in three games with the Wild since a trade from Columbus.
10-1-6: Run for Gustavsson over his last 17 starts.
21: Points for Matt Boldy over his last 16 games.
.927: Save percentage for the Wild on the road since Feb. 23.
About the Stars:
Dallas has faced off against the Wild one other time in the playoffs, back in 2016 when the Stars advanced after six games. In that series, Jamie Benn had a team-high 10 points. Winger Jason Robertson finished the regular season with 101 points, including 43 goals. Lakeville's Jake Oettinger set career highs in wins (37) and shutouts (5) in his third season. The Stars were 22-10-9 at home during the regular season.
