Boldy OT – Matt Boldy’s deflection goal in overtime powered the Minnesota Wild to a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 4, tying the first-round series 2-2.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Matt Boldy did exactly what playoff puck luck sometimes demands: he tipped it at the right moment, and the Minnesota Wild took advantage.
Boldy’s deflection with 28.9 seconds left in overtime sealed a 3-2 Game 4 win over the Dallas Stars. tying their first-round NHL series at 2-2.. For a Wild team that had felt the pressure of a series swing. the goal landed like a statement—especially after the noise of Game 3’s defeat and the mounting questions around Minnesota’s power play.
Minnesota started fast and scored early even if the rhythm wasn’t clean.. Brock Faber opened the scoring with a wrister that found the net in the first period. with the puck glancing off Miro Heiskanen’s glove.. The Wild’s style at even strength has been the steadier identity in this matchup. and Game 4 reinforced the message: when the game goes beyond special teams. Minnesota can still create momentum.
The storyline quickly turned to power play efficiency, and Dallas controlled the tempo.. The Stars scored on the only two regulation power-play chances they had. and they continued to look comfortable running their system under pressure.. Through the series. Dallas is 8-for-19 on special teams. while Minnesota has struggled to convert—showing a clear contrast that has shaped the entire round. similar to the kind of gap Dallas exploited against Minnesota back in 2023.
Minnesota didn’t wait long to answer Dallas’s early edge.. Marcus Foligno tied the game at 5:20 left in the third period with a second-effort tip-in. a goal that came from persistence in front—exactly where the Wild needed to win small battles.. Around that effort. Jesper Wallstedt continued to anchor the net. stopping 43 shots and giving Minnesota a reason to believe late even when the Stars were pressing.
The late game drama had a chaotic edge, too.. After a near-miss by Wyatt Johnston during a scrum near the Wild goal. a fluky bounce off the end boards turned into an opening—Nico Sturm’s shot caromed toward the crease.. Foligno knocked it loose as he tumbled over the top of the goalie’s shoulder. and the bounce became a goal.. That’s the kind of sequence that doesn’t always show up in replay angles. but it does in results. turning pressure into points.
Still, the biggest reason Game 4 mattered wasn’t just the comeback feel—it was what Minnesota failed to solve.. The Wild were without Mats Zuccarello for a second consecutive game due to an upper-body injury from Game 1. and the absence was felt most sharply on the power play.. Minnesota went 0-for-4 in regulation and managed just one goal over their last 15 power-play opportunities.. That kind of production drought doesn’t just steal momentum; it changes decisions. because every late-game penalty becomes heavier than it should.
Dallas, meanwhile, carried its own injury and lineup constraints.. The Stars were playing without top centre Roope Hintz. and yet their attacking structure still looked organized enough to generate quality chances—often through screens and in ways that kept Minnesota’s defensive looks from settling.. Jake Oettinger added to that steadiness. stopping 40 shots in another performance that looked calm even when the Wild found their finishing moments.
Even so. the most decisive swing came in overtime. where Boldy finished the way the best playoff players do—reading traffic and reacting fastest.. Jared Spurgeon’s shot from the right side was tipped by Boldy, who was unmarked in front of the net.. The timing was perfect: 28.9 seconds left in the first overtime period. the kind of finish that forces a team to replay the shift in its head all night.
If Game 5 in Dallas becomes a chess match. the lesson from Game 4 is straightforward: Minnesota can compete. but it needs even-strength confidence to offset special teams struggles.. Through the series. the Wild are up 9-4 in 5-on-5 goals. and that stat matters because it suggests their core identity isn’t broken—it just needs the finish to arrive consistently.. With the series now tied 2-2, the next battle won’t be about who has the better script.. It’ll be about who stops the other team’s best moments from becoming inevitabilities—and who turns their own chances into the kind of late goals that decide rounds.