Game 4 is a must-win for the Minnesota Wild, as a 3–1 series deficit would be difficult to overcome with the series shifting back to Dallas on Tuesday.
Quick pick
- Best bet: Minnesota Wild moneyline (-135)
- Confidence: 3 out of 5
- Model projection: Wild 4 – Stars 3
- Win probability: Wild 57% | Stars 43%
- Best value angle: Dallas is missing Hintz for a 4th straight game – Minnesota’s home crowd, special teams depth, and fresher legs make -135 a fair price with positive expected value.
Game snapshot Stars. vs Wild
- Matchup: Dallas Stars at Minnesota Wild — NHL Playoffs, Round 1, Game 4
- Series: Dallas leads 2-1
- Date & time: Saturday April 25, 2026, 5:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, MN
- Broadcast: TBS / HBO Max
Key stats
Minnesota opened this series with a statement 6-1 blowout on Dallas ice, and what stands out from a betting perspective is that the Wild have come within a handful of minutes of winning all 3 games. Game 3 ended in double overtime after Dallas survived 2 Minnesota power plays in overtime. The sample is small but the pattern is real — this is as even a series as the odds implied heading in.
Dallas winning 2 consecutive games does not tell the full story. The Stars needed 80-plus minutes to get their Game 3 victory, burning energy and depth. The Wild head into Game 4 at home having essentially outplayed Dallas for stretches of 3 straight games. They are not a team in free fall — they are a team a bounce away from a 2-2 series.
Team performance & advanced metrics
Dallas is the more complete regular-season club on paper, but the playoff context scrambles those edges. With Roope Hintz out (missing his 24th consecutive game and confirmed absent for Game 4), the Stars are running Duchene between Robertson and Rantanen on their top line. That trio has been productive — Duchene and Johnston have been the offensive catalysts — but losing Hintz removes a 44-point center from the lineup and forces depth lines to work harder.
Special teams will decide this game again. Dallas went 3-for-8 on the power play in Game 3 and Minnesota was 1-for-7, yet the Wild still pushed it to double overtime. That tells you the 5-on-5 game is tight. The key variable in Game 4 is whether Minnesota can stay disciplined enough to avoid handing Dallas extra man-advantage chances, while converting their own.
The game script figures to be tight and low-to-mid scoring. Both goaltenders have been solid and neither team has shown the ability to pull away cleanly. A total of 5.5 reflects that reality — and Game 3’s 7-goal marathon notwithstanding, the lean is toward a grind-it-out contest.
Market & odds analysis
Minnesota opened as a small home favorite and has retained that status through the week. The implied probability at -135 prices the Wild at roughly 57% to win, which aligns closely with a home playoff team in an essentially even series. Dallas at +114 implies about 47% — the slight vig-adjusted gap reflects home ice more than true talent separation.
| Market | Odds |
|---|---|
| Moneyline | Wild -135 | Stars +114 |
| Total | 5.5 — over/under |
| Puckline | Wild -1.5 approx. +190 | Stars +1.5 approx. -225 |
The moneyline price on Minnesota is fairly set. There is not a massive overlay here, but the combination of home ice, a back-to-back-in-effect short rest for both teams canceling out, and the Hintz absence continuing to hurt Dallas depth gives a mild lean to the Wild at -135. The puckline on Dallas at +1.5 is interesting for volume bettors given how many of these games have been one-goal outcomes — 3 of 3 so far decided by 1 or 2 goals.
Key edges Stars vs. Wild
- Hintz absence confirmed: Dallas is without their first-line center for a 4th straight game. Duchene, Robertson, and Rantanen have compensated well but depth scoring has been thin.
- Minnesota home ice: Grand Casino Arena has been a fortress for the Wild this season. The crowd factor in a must-respond playoff atmosphere (down 2-1) cannot be understated.
- Series desperation: A team that loses Game 4 to fall down 3-1 faces roughly a 15% historical win rate. Minnesota will be playing with urgency that sharpens margins in close games.
- Zuccarello injury wildcard: Mats Zuccarello has been dealing with an upper-body injury that kept him out of Game 2 and made him uncertain for Game 3. His status for Game 4 is worth monitoring pregame — his presence on Minnesota’s power play is a meaningful swing.
Goaltending & key players
Jake Oettinger has been the backbone of Dallas through this series. He made 28 saves in Game 2 and held on through 2 overtime periods in Game 3, finishing with 28 saves again in the extra sessions. His career numbers at Minnesota are notably strong — a .929 SV% and 2.07 GAA in 9 career road games there. He is the single biggest reason Dallas is up 2-1 despite being outplayed for stretches.
Jesper Wallstedt has started all 3 games for Minnesota ahead of veteran Filip Gustavsson. The rookie has been more than competent — a .932 SV% through his first 2 playoff games, and he made 28 saves in Game 3 only to lose on a deflection tip in double overtime. He cannot be blamed for the series standing. The question is whether the moment catches up to him in a must-win home game under maximum pressure.
On the skater side, Wyatt Johnston has been the best player in the series with his game-winning goal in double overtime and 2 goals in Game 2. Jason Robertson has scored in all 3 games. For Minnesota, Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes — the offseason acquisition who joined this spring — have been disruptive, and Brock Faber contributed both Wild goals in Game 2. Michael McCarron scored his first career playoff goal in Game 3. This Wild roster has more depth contributors than Dallas is getting credit for.
Risk factors
- Dallas in-series momentum: The Stars have won 2 straight after losing badly in Game 1. Teams that reel off back-to-back wins in a series often carry that wave into the next game regardless of rest or location.
- Oettinger road excellence: His career numbers in Minnesota specifically are the biggest concern for the Wild moneyline — he has historically elevated his game in that building.
- Wild power play failure rate: Minnesota was 1-for-7 in Game 3 including 2 overtime opportunities. If that misfiring continues in Game 4, it will be very difficult to win.
Prediction & best bet Stars vs. Wild
- Best bet: Minnesota Wild moneyline (-135)
- Score projection: Wild 4 – Stars 3
- Win probability: Wild 57% | Stars 43%
- Edge: Small to moderate
This is not a bet on Minnesota being the better team — it is a bet on the situation. The Wild are at home in a must-win Game 4, facing a Dallas team without Hintz and coming off 80-plus minutes of playoff hockey two days ago. The price at -135 implies 57% and that aligns well with what the numbers support. Minnesota was minutes away from winning Game 3 and still has not been blown out since Game 2. The series is tight. Bet the home desperation, the Hintz hole, and the slight regression of Dallas’s power play luck.
The over 5.5 is a secondary consideration. Games 2 and 3 combined for 13 goals, and special teams have been extraordinarily active. If the Wild convert even 2 of their power play chances, scoring gets there in a hurry. The under remains a lean, though, because Oettinger and Wallstedt have both been sharp enough to keep it close.
Final score prediction: Wild 4 – Stars 3
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