Well well well, look who decided to show up. Following a blowout loss to start the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Dallas Stars downed the Minnesota Wild in pretty convincing fashion in Game 2 to tie this series at one game apiece. Now the two sides head northward to the Land of 1000 Lakes as the matchup shifts locations for Games 3 and 4. Wednesday night’s outing could prove crucial as one of these contenders is positioned to take a lead in the series, but which one will come out on top in this tilt?

Here’s a Stars vs. Wild Game 3 prediction and pick for Monday’s NHL Playoffs action on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Stars vs. Wild Game 3 prediction, preview

The Dallas Stars and slow starts to playoff series, what better pairing is there? This team has lost nine of its last 11 Game 1s but responded in turn to that loss as they tend to do, taking Game 2 by a 4-2 margin in a matchup that wasn’t quite as close as the scoreboard suggests. While Dallas was out-hit 35-27, its players were clearly fired up and played a significantly more physical game than in the series opener — look no further than Colin Blackwell’s massive open-ice blow that knocked regular-season hits leader Yakov Trenin out of the contest.

Not only did the Stars look much more aggressive in Game 2, but the offense came out to play after scoring just once in the opener and being held to 1-for-4 on the power play. This time around, Dallas went 2-for-5 on the man advantage while also getting a pair of even-strength goals with an empty-netter as well. Granted, one of those came via a bit of puck luck as a Wyatt Johnston shot rebounded off the boards and deflected into the net off the arm of Jesper Wallstedt, but you take those when you get them. Regardless, the Stars outshot the Wild 32-30 and generated 10 high-danger chances at even strength. That was much more indicative of their game after being held to only four in the first outing of the series.

It’s become increasingly clear that the key to this series will be playing clean hockey and limiting penalties. With five power-play goals scored between these sides thus far and 25 combined penalties, the impact of special teams has already been critical. Both teams have an elite power-play unit, so managing emotions and keeping the opponent off the man advantage will probably decide the eventual winner of the entire best-of-seven. That’s certainly easier said than done given the stakes and aggressive play we’ve seen thus far, though.

One note for tonight’s game as well — both Trenin and Mats Zuccarello are game-time decisions for Wednesday. The former left with an upper-body issue in Game 2 while the latter missed the contest in its entirety due to an upper-body injury as well. Those are two key pieces for Minnesota, though Roope Hintz didn’t travel with Dallas for this leg of the series either.

Stars vs. Wild Game 3 pick, best bet

DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Wild as -130 favorites to win at home on the Moneyline tonight, while the Stars come in with +110 odds on the road. The game total sits at just 5.5 combined goals.

Betting splits show 57% of straight bets on Minnesota to win, 72% of wagers on Dallas to cover the +1.5 puck line, and 71% on the total’s over.

Last time out, Jake Oettinger looked much more like himself with 28 saves on 30 shots faced, good for a .933 SV%. It’s worth noting that the Minnesota native tends to step his game up when playing in his home state, amassing a .929 SV% and 2.07 GAA over nine career games on the road there. That could prove massive tonight, especially with rookie Jesper Wallstedt at a .932 SV% and 2.02 GAA in his first two playoff games for the other side.

Both of these teams are loaded and the series certainly looks like it’ll be competitive for the next however-many games now that the Stars have snapped back into form. Dallas played a ton of one-goal games this season and the Wild should be energized at home in front of the Minnesota faithful, so this feels like the perfect time to take a game into overtime. It’s hard to complain about free hockey and these sides are very evenly matched, so I love getting +300 value on a draw at the 60-minute line.

Best bet: 60 min line – draw (+300)