Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild Series: How to watch, TV Channel list, Live stream details & more - NHL Playoffs 2023

It's that time! The Stanley Cup playoffs begin today with eight teams in action. The Minnesota Wild and the Dallas Stars will kick things off in the Western Conference. The two teams finished five points apart in the Central Division.

The Stars and Wild will face each other at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas at 9.30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on national networks such as ESPN2, SportsNet360, and TVAS2. The remaining playoff games will be on TBS, SportsNet One, and other SportsNet channels in Canada.

If you do not have cable, you can stream the game with a subscription to Bally Sports+, which has a 7-Day Free Trial. With this subscription, you can watch Bally Sports South/Southwest or Fox Sports South/Southwest. If you live outside of the local market, you can watch games with a subscription to ESPN+.

Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild: Preview of the Series

Minnesota Wild v Dallas Stars

The two teams have an interesting history. The Dallas Stars were previously located in Minnesota and known as the Minnesota Northstars before relocating to Dallas in 1993. The Minnesota Wild joined the NHL as an expansion team during the 2000–2001 season.

Bill Guerin, the general manager of the Wild, played in the NHL for 18 seasons, including three with the Stars from 2002-06. Mike Modano, a Minnesota advisor and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, played with the North Stars/Stars organization for 20 of his 21 NHL seasons.

The only previous postseason encounter between these two teams was during the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Stars won the series in six games.

Both the Stars and Wild beat each other twice during the regular season. Minnesota won twice in the shootout while the Stars won the remaining two games by a final score of 4-1.

The Wild's top three defensemen -- Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, and Matt Dumba -- played with the Wild during their previous playoff series against the Stars. The Stars had Radek Faska, Tyler Seguin, and captain Jamie Benn.

Benn recorded 33 goals and 45 assists in 82 games this season. Kirill Kazparov's return to the lineup will be a big boost for the Wild. But the Stars have more offensive firepower and are the betting favorites to win the series.

Both teams are in their Stanley Cup window and are expected to make deep runs in the playoffs. It should be a close series between the two division rivals.