Dallas Stars season ends after first-round series loss to Minnesota Wild
SAINT PAUL, MN - APRIL 30: Vladimir Tarasenko #91 of the Minnesota Wild celebrates his goal against the Dallas Stars in Game Six of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Grand Casino Arena on April 30, 2026 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. (Ph
ST. PAUL, Minnesota - The Dallas Stars' 2025-26 season has come to an end much earlier than the team was hoping for.
Stars lose series to Wild
The Stars lost 5-2 to the Minnesota Wild in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series, losing the series four games to two.
An early Quinn Hughes goal put the Stars in a 1-0 deficit early in the first period before the team fought back.
Dallas got goals from Wyatt Johnston and Mavrik Borque in the second period to briefly go ahead 2-1, but a Vladamir Tarasenko goal tied the score going into the third period.
With 9:22 left in the third period, Quinn Hughes scored his second goal of the game to put the Wild up 3-2. Matt Boldy added two empty-net goals to seal the loss.
ST PAUL, MINNESOTA - APRIL 30: Jason Robertson #21 of the Dallas Stars passes the puck against Matt Boldy #12 of the Minnesota Wild during the first period in Game Six of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Grand Casino Arena on April
By the numbers:
This is the first time that the Stars have failed to advance out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2022, when they lost a seven-game series to the Calgary Flames.
In the previous three seasons, the Stars advanced to the Western Conference Final, but failed to advance to the Stanley Cup Final in all three appearances.
Dallas scored two or fewer goals in five of the six games in the series, and their highest scoring output was in a 4-2 win in Game 2.
This is Minnesota's first playoff series win since 2015, when the Wild beat the St. Louis Blues in the first round.
ST PAUL, MINNESOTA - APRIL 30: Jake Oettinger #29 of the Dallas Stars makes a save against Marcus Foligno #17 of the Minnesota Wild during the first period in Game Six of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Grand Casino Arena on April
What's next:
After a season where the Stars finished with the third most points in the NHL but failed to advance out of the first round, Dallas will have plenty of time to think about how they want next season's roster to look.
NHL free agency begins on July 1, and expect Dallas to make several moves aimed at getting them that elusive second Stanley Cup trophy.
The Source: Information in this story comes from the NHL.