3 least impressive Minnesota Wild players from 3-0 loss to Dallas Stars feat. Jared Spurgeon 

The Minnesota Wild have enjoyed a strong 2024-25 NHL season and are on the verge of clinching a playoff spot after having failed to qualify in 2023-24.

They had their work cut out for them on Monday night, getting matched up against their rival Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center; the Stars entered the contest hoping to gain ground in the Central Division and widen the gap between themselves and the Colorado Avalanche while also moving closer to the first place Winnipeg Jets.

They did just that, earning a 3-0 victory over the Wild to improve to 45-21-4 for 94 points; meanwhile, the Wild fell to 40-26-5 and missed out on a chance to advance within two points of the third-place Colorado Avalanche in the standings.

There was no scoring to speak of in the first 20 minutes of play and for most of the second period. However, Stars forward Wyatt Johnston broke the ice with a power-play goal at the 15:01 mark of the middle frame when he deflected Thomas Harley's shot past Filip Gustavsson:

Just 58 seconds later, Matt Duchene increased the lead to 2-0 with his 27th goal of the season.

Entering the third period with their 2-0 lead intact, the Stars then picked up an insurance tally late in the frame from Mason Marchment; he scored into the vacated Wild net with Gustavsson on the bench for an extra attacker.

Gustavsson finished with 26 saves on 28 shots, while Jake Oettinger picked up the shutout for the Stars with 32 saves.

3 least impressive Minnesota Wild players from 3-0 loss to Dallas Stars

#1. Jared Spurgeon

The Wild captain couldn't deliver against the rival Stars on Monday night.

Not only did he fail to find the scoresheet, but he finished with a -2 rating, the worst among all Minnesota blue-liners in the loss. He also was whistled for a penalty.

#2. Mats Zuccarello

The veteran Wild forward, who was formerly a brief member of the Stars before signing with Minnesota in July of 2019, failed to make an impact against his former club.

He finished with no points along with a -2 rating.

#3. Matt Boldy

While the Wild forward may have done his part to try and break Oettinger's shutout with seven shots, he wasn't nearly as effective on the defensive side of the puck.

Boldy committed a team-high four giveaways as part of the loss while also finishing with a -1 rating.

The Minnesota Wild will look to bounce back when they host the Vegas Golden Knights next at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday.