Game 6 between the Wild and Stars was a strange one.
Through 40 minutes, Dallas looked like they would cruise to an easy win and finally eliminate the Wild from the 2016 playoffs. Although they did manage to knock off the Wild, it was anything but easy in the third period.
Dallas opened the scoring less than six minutes into the game, when John Klingberg scored a power play goal. Jason Spezza doubled the Stars’ lead less than four minutes later. Before the end of the opening frame, Patrick Sharp made it 3-0.
In the second period we saw more of the same thing. A lackluster Minnesota team allowed Jamie Benn to make it 4-0 just seconds before the second intermission was set to begin.
Most people thought the Wild were toast going into the third period, but something changed. The Wild woke up.
Minnesota got goals from Jared Spurgeon (twice) and Jonas Brodin in under five minutes (4:51 to be exact) to cut the lead to 4-3.
The Stars gave themselves some breathing room, as Alex Goligoski made it 5-3 (with a weird goal), but the Wild wouldn’t go away quietly.
Jason Pominville cut the lead to 5-4 with this goal at the 15:13 mark of the third period.
The Stars did everything they could to blow it. The Wild even came this close to tying it in the final minute:
Here’s a look at how close the Wild came to tying it pic.twitter.com/9RA1fB3ZfV
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 24, 2016
But it just wasn’t meant to be for Minnesota.
#mnwild play its entire season in one game. Up and down, wild roller coaster
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 24, 2016
Millimeters from tying it, but that's all she wrote this season
Horn sounds. Stars win 5-4. Dallas wins series 4-2. First series win for Stars since 2008.
— Mike Heika (@MikeHeika) April 24, 2016