Dallas won because their power play converted 3-from-9 against Minnesota's 1-from-8, generating the tying goal, the overtime winner, and the structural advantage that Minnesota could never overcome.
⚡TURNING POINT
Duchene's power-play goal at 10:18 of the third period erased Minnesota's lead and forced overtime, shifting all leverage back to Dallas at the moment when Minnesota needed only to defend. A team that had controlled the second period completely suddenly faced the prospect of having surrendered that advantage for nothing — and the psychological reset of a 3-3 tie in the final minutes proved fatal to Minnesota's momentum.
🏆WHY DAL WON
1
Special Teams: PP 3/9 (33.3%) — Dallas's power play generated the first-period lead, the tying goal in the third, and the overtime winner. Minnesota took 18 PIMs and handed Dallas nine opportunities; Dallas punished them on three, which accounted for every goal that mattered structurally.
2
Shot Volume and Defensive Structure: 36 shots on goal, 30 blocked shots — Dallas generated more volume than Minnesota (36 vs. 31) while blocking 30 shots against 17, controlling both offensive generation and defensive suppression simultaneously.
3
Faceoff Control: 53.9% (48 of 89) — Dallas's faceoff dominance in overtime gave them repeated puck possession to set up the winning power play, denying Minnesota the clean zone entries they needed to protect their lead or extend the game.
📉WHY MIN LOST
1
Penalty Discipline: 18 PIMs, 8 power plays surrendered — conceding nine Dallas power-play opportunities in a one-goal overtime game is a structural failure. Three of those opportunities became goals; the penalties in the third period and overtime directly caused the result.
2
Goaltending: Wallstedt conceded 0.40 goals above league average on 36 shots — in a four-goal game decided in overtime, that margin was the difference between holding a lead and losing it.
3
Special Teams Conversion: PP 1/8 (12.5%) — Minnesota generated eight power-play chances of their own and converted only once, leaving five-on-five play unable to compensate for the team's inability to capitalize on Dallas's 16 giveaways and defensive lapses.
Three Stars
Wyatt Johnston1st
DAL, C
1G 1A 2PTOI 30:12PPG 1
Johnston assisted the tying goal and scored the overtime winner on the power play — his involvement in both decisive strikes of the final period made him the direct author of Dallas's comeback.
Matt Duchene2nd
DAL, C
1G 2A 3PTOI 27:39PPG 1
Duchene's power-play goal forced overtime and his two assists connected the line responsible for all three Dallas power-play goals, making him the engine of the special teams unit that decided the game.
Joel Eriksson Ek3rd
MIN, C
1G 0A 1PSOG 4TOI 32:44
Eriksson Ek's even-strength goal in the second period was part of Minnesota's three-goal run that built the lead, and his 32:44 of ice time represented the heaviest defensive burden on the Minnesota roster.
