Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars Tie First-Round Series After Game 4

Apr 26, 2026, 03:43

Introduction

The Minnesota Wild beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 in overtime during Game 4 on Saturday at Grand Casino Arena, bringing the series tie to two games each. The first-round NHL playoff series will continue in Dallas on Tuesday, April 28, at 7 p.m. CT.

Main Body

The game ended in the first overtime period when Matt Boldy scored by redirecting a shot from Jared Spurgeon. This goal came after two of Boldy's previous goals were cancelled by officials—one due to interference and another because of a kicking motion. Minnesota's other goals were scored by Brock Faber and Marcus Foligno, who scored from a rebound with 5:20 left in regulation. Dallas relied heavily on their special teams, as Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen scored during the only two power plays of the regulation game. While the Stars' power play has been very successful throughout the series, they have struggled to score during normal 5-on-5 play. In contrast, Minnesota has been more effective at even strength, although their power play has struggled, scoring only once in their last 15 attempts. Both teams faced challenges with player injuries. Minnesota played without Mats Zuccarello, while Dallas missed center Roope Hintz. Furthermore, Dallas defenseman Nils Lundkvist had to leave the game in the second period after suffering a cut to his face. Despite these issues, Dallas player Mikko Rantanen emphasized that the team is confident they can use their home-ice advantage to win the rest of the series.

Conclusion

The series is now tied at 2-2, and Game 5 will take place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Vocabulary Learning

effective (adj.)
successful in producing a desired or intended result有效的；起作用的
Example:The team's new defensive strategy proved to be very effective against their rivals.
emphasize (v.)
to give special importance or prominence to something in speaking or writing強調；著重
Example:The coach wanted to emphasize the importance of teamwork during the final meeting.
interference (n.)
the action of preventing a process or activity from continuing or being carried out properly干擾；阻礙
Example:The referee called a penalty because of illegal interference with the goalkeeper.
redirect (v.)
to change the direction or course of something改變方向；使改道
Example:The player managed to redirect the ball into the net at the last second.
regulation (n.)
the standard period of play in a sports game, as opposed to overtime正規比賽時間
Example:The score was tied at the end of regulation, so the game went into overtime.

Sentence Learning

This goal came after two of Boldy's previous goals were cancelled by officials—one due to interference and another because of a kicking motion.
Passive Voice: This structure focuses on the action of the goals being disallowed rather than the officials themselves, which is common in formal reporting.被動語態: 此結構強調入球被取消的動作，而非裁判本身，這是正式報導中常見的用法。
Minnesota's other goals were scored by Brock Faber and Marcus Foligno, who scored from a rebound with 5:20 left in regulation.
Non-defining Relative Clause: The clause starting with 'who' provides additional, non-essential information about Marcus Foligno to add detail to the report.非限定關係子句: 以 'who' 引導的子句為 Marcus Foligno 提供了額外的補充資訊，使報導內容更豐富，但該資訊對句子主幹並非必要。
While the Stars' power play has been very successful throughout the series, they have struggled to score during normal 5-on-5 play.
Linking Word (Contrast): 'While' is used here to compare two contrasting situations regarding the team's performance in different game modes.連接詞 (對比): 此處使用 'While' 來對比該球隊在不同比賽模式下表現出的兩種截然不同的情況。
In contrast, Minnesota has been more effective at even strength, although their power play has struggled, scoring only once in their last 15 attempts.
Linking Word (Concession): 'Although' introduces a contrasting fact that qualifies the previous statement about the team's effectiveness.連接詞 (讓步): 'Although' 引入了一個對比事實，對前文關於球隊效率的陳述作出了補充與轉折。
Despite these issues, Dallas player Mikko Rantanen emphasized that the team is confident they can use their home-ice advantage to win the rest of the series.
Linking Word (Contrast/Concession): 'Despite' is used with a noun phrase to show that the team's confidence remains high even though they faced injuries.連接詞 (對比/讓步): 'Despite' 後接名詞短語，表示儘管面臨傷患問題，球隊依然保持高度信心。