The Minnesota Wild and Anaheim Ducks move on to the second round with dominant first-round performances.
Anaheim Ducks 5, Edmonton Oilers 2
Anaheim Wins Series 4-2
The Anaheim Ducks officially eliminated the Oilers with a 5-2 victory, proving that their young speed was too much for the Edmonton veteran core to contain. The Ducks' fourth line played a crucial role as Ryan Poehling opened the scoring and Jeffery Viel laid his own version of the "double dion" on Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard. Connor McDavid, clearly hampered by the injury sustained earlier in the series, fought through massive minutes but was held off the scoresheet in the final frame. It’s the first time the Oilers have been eliminated in the first round since the North Division Semifinals in 2021.
Minnesota Wild 5, Dallas Stars 2
Minnesota Wins Series 4-2
Minnesota got on the board first thanks to a quick wrister from star defender Quinn Hughes, his first of the playoffs. Not long after, Wyatt Johnston fired home his fourth goal of the series to tie things at one. Then, Mavrik Bourque took advantage of Jesper Wallstedt falling out of position, scoring his first NHL playoff goal. But that lead didn't last long as Vladimir Tarasenko found the back of the net to tie the game up. From there, Minnesota took over as Hughes scored his second of the night, before Matt Boldy sealed the game with an empty-netter. The elimination marks the first time Dallas has lost in the opening round for the first time in four years.