Mikko Rantanen, Wyatt Johnston, and Colin Blackwell each recorded a goal and an assist as the Dallas Stars rallied for a 5-4 comeback victory over the visiting Minnesota Wild on Thursday night.

Dallas trailed 4-3 in the third period before turning the game around late. At 4:28 of the final frame, a point shot from Thomas Harley deflected off Rantanen’s skate and into the net to tie the game. Moments later, Jason Robertson gave Dallas the lead at 10:35, burying a wrist shot for his 42nd goal of the season.

The matchup served as a potential postseason preview, with the Stars (47-20-12, 106 points) and Wild (45-22-12, 102 points) set to meet in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Dallas holds a four-point edge over Minnesota for second place in the Central Division, with three regular-season games remaining for both teams.

Cameron Hughes scored his first career NHL goal, while Esa Lindell added two assists for the Stars. Jake Oettinger made 27 saves on 31 shots to secure his 33rd win of the season.

However, Dallas suffered a setback when defenseman Miro Heiskanen exited late in the first period with a lower-body injury, raising concern for the club ahead of the playoffs.

On the Minnesota side, Filip Gustavsson stopped 15 of 20 shots, as the Wild saw their four-game winning streak come to an end. Minnesota went 3-for-5 on the power play, with two goals from Kirill Kaprizov and one from Ryan Hartman. Quinn Hughes contributed a goal and an assist.

Mats Zuccarello finished with three assists, while Matt Boldy added two more.

Johnston opened the scoring just 4:26 into the first period with his 44th goal of the season. Minnesota responded at 13:02 when Hughes tied the game after ringing a shot off both posts.

Late in the first period, Boldy’s pass from the circle set up Kaprizov on the power play with 16 seconds remaining before intermission. Kaprizov struck again 6:39 into the second period, finishing off a Boldy rebound to restore Minnesota’s lead.

The multi-goal performance marked the 42nd of Kaprizov’s career, setting a new franchise record for Minnesota.

Blackwell cut into the deficit at 8:03 of the second period before Cameron Hughes tied the game at 16:16 with his milestone first NHL goal. Minnesota briefly regained the lead on the power play when Hartman scored with 11 seconds left in the second period.

The Stars ultimately surged in the third period to complete the comeback and secure the win. -Field Level Media/Reuters