NHL Playoffs: Stars vs. Wild Game 3 live stream: Watch online
Where can you watch Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild Game 3 online?
The Dallas Stars enter enemy territory tonight for Game 3, which will be held at the Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild.
The Stars hold the series at 2-0, have closed Saturday’s game at 2-1. However, the team had the luxury of home ice advantage; the Xcel will be filled with a high-energy crowd for the Wild, and no doubt the hosts will finally have the encouragement and motivation to perform at their best. And let’s not forget that stain on Dallas’s reputation in Minnesota as a city that stole their team in 1993.
Stars starting goaltender Kari Lehtonen has exceeded expectations, going 8-1 in his past nine starts, including both regular season and playoffs. Right now he holds a 1.41 goals against average in his last five games, .935 save percentage and has stopped 47 of the 48 shots he’s faced in the playoffs. In his last nine games, he has also managed two shutouts. Lehtonen will certainly need to remain stolid in the net as the series shifts to the Wild’s rink.
Dallas center Tyler Seguin returned to the lineup Saturday for 15:40 after missing a total of 11 games, including one playoff contest, due to a cut to his Achilles tendon. Right now, coach Lindy Ruff has yet to announce whether he will be fit enough to play tonight after the intensity of Game 2—the Wild knows he’s not quite up to game speed, let alone playoff shape, and they will swarm whenever he’s on the ice. However, forward Mattias Janmark will return to the lineup. Thankfully, the Stars flaunt a healthy lineup right now, and scratches to the lineup will not be an indication of poor health and condition on the team.
Minnesota, meanwhile, is not fortunate. Coach John Torchetti said Minnesota’s pride and glory left wing Zach Parise does not appear to be coming back to help the team in the playoffs anytime soon, quite a disappointment for Wild fans praying he’d be the team’s savior. Thomas Vanek will not return either.
Only four teams in the history of the Stanley Cup Playoffs have managed come back from a 3-0 series deficit, and Minnesota is looking to prevent that series lead. The Wild’s one tally came in the third period of Game 2 when Marco Scandella scored on the power play. The team’s defense no doubt needs work, but the top lines, including Mikael Granlund, Mikko Koivu and David Jones—even Jason Zucker, Charlie Coyle and Justin Fontaine—need to shoot more if they have any hopes at getting more pucks in the net. So far, Minnesota has only scored one goal this round, and that was on a power play. The team needs to get its first even-strength goal of the series in order to assert dominance over the Stars’ defense.
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Game three airs tonight (Monday) on CNBC at 8:30 PM EST.
Date: Monday, April 18
Start Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Stadium: Xcel Energy Center
TV Info: CNBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
For more coverage of the NHL Playoffs, make sure to check out our NHL hub page.