ST. PAUL, Minn. — Wyatt Johnston scored on a power-play deflection at 12:10 of the second overtime to give the Dallas Stars a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild in Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series early Thursday morning at Grand Casino Arena.
The 22-year-old Johnston redirected a shot from the point by Miro Heiskanen for his third goal of the series, ending a marathon that stretched past midnight and more than 72 minutes of hockey. The win puts the Stars ahead 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is set for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Central back in St. Paul.
Dallas built multiple leads but had to answer every Minnesota push. Matt Duchene tied the score with a power-play goal midway through the third period. After a scoreless first overtime, Minnesota’s Danila Yurov drew a delay-of-game penalty in the second extra frame, giving the Stars their fourth power-play chance of the night. Johnston, who led the NHL with 27 power-play goals in the regular season, made them pay.
WYATT JOHNSTON GAME 3 WINNER!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/KYiUCONSrt
— x - Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) April 23, 2026
The game featured strong goaltending on both sides, with Minnesota’s Filip Gustavsson turning aside 32 shots in a losing effort. The Stars outshot the Wild 36-31. Johnston’s winner was Dallas’ third power-play goal of the contest.
The series returns to Minnesota for Game 4 after the Stars evened it at home in Game 2. Dallas now holds home-ice advantage in the opening-round matchup.
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The series returns to Minnesota for Game 4 after the Stars evened it at home in Game 2.
The series returns to Minnesota for Game 4 after the Stars evened it at home in Game 2.
