Wyatt Johnston's Deflection at 12:10 of Double-OT Sends Dallas Past Minnesota and Puts Stars One Win Away

Wyatt Johnston buried a power-play deflection 12 minutes and 10 seconds into the second overtime, and the Dallas Stars just stole Game 3 from the Minnesota Wild with a 4-3 victory in St. Paul. That's a 2-1 series lead for Dallas, and suddenly the Wild are staring down elimination in their own building.

Johnston's goal came off a Miro Heiskanen shot that he simply got his stick on at the right moment. It was his third goal in three games, and his sixth career playoff-winning goal across four postseasons. After the puck bounced past Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt, the game ended at 12:54 a.m. Thursday morning. "It's kind of a little blurry, but just trying to get to the net and just trying to get my stick on the puck," Johnston said, keeping it simple. The guy finished the regular season with a career-high 45 goals, and he's not done yet.

Minnesota Had Chances. They Just Couldn't Finish.

This one stings for the Wild because they had real opportunities. Minnesota was 1-for-7 on the power play for the entire game, and they failed to convert on two separate overtime power plays after Danila Yurov drew a delay-of-game penalty that set up Johnston's winner. Radek Faksa nearly ended it in the second OT with a close-range chance, poking the puck behind Wallstedt, but it skidded straight across the crease and never found twine. Brock Faber also had a prime chance in the first overtime after Hughes drew a tripping penalty on Sam Steel, but even with Faksa killing most of that penalty without a stick, the Wild couldn't generate real pressure.

Two Brilliant Goaltending Performances, One Heartbreaker

Wallstedt was stellar for Minnesota, making 32 saves. He had no business being on the losing end of this game. "We definitely played well enough to win," he said afterward. "It's small margins. It's a 'D' shot that double tips and hits twice and goes over my shoulder. Yeah, it's bounces, but that's what it is." On the other end, Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger made 28 saves and came through when it mattered most, including an audible blocker save on Faber's slap shot early in the first overtime. Matt Duchene also played hero, tying it on a power play midway through the third period after his backcheck on Matt Boldy averted a short-handed goal that would have buried the Stars down two.

The Stars are one win away from advancing. The Wild need to find a way to win at home, or this series is over.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.