Wild fail Central Division test with loss to Stars

ST. PAUL, Minn. — What was supposed to be a test to certify the Wild was downgraded to a quality control check.

With three of their best players injured, the Wild could never get a proper read on their potential, especially against a pesky Central Division rival that is expected to contend for the Stanley Cup.

Instead, it was more important for the team to prove it could compete without Jonas Brodin, Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello than validate its surge up the standings, but the Wild’s 2-1 loss to the Stars on Saturday at Xcel Energy Center wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement.

Dallas’ Mason Marchment scored twice, and Jake Oettinger made 22 saves to deal the Wild only their third regulation loss after they’d won three of their previous four games.

Oettinger’s shutout bid was spoiled with 5 minutes, 50 seconds to go after Kirill Kaprizov tipped in a shot from captain Jared Spurgeon, but the goal was too little, too late for a Wild rally.

At 11-3-3, the Wild are still locked into third place in the NHL, but holding their ground could get tricky.

Zuccarello is expected to be out for three to four weeks after having surgery on a lower-body injury suffered on Thursday in the Wild’s 3-0 victory over the Canadiens when Zuccarello appeared to get hit in the midsection by a Brock Faber shot.

Eriksson Ek was also hurt that game, leaving with a lower-body injury, and although the Wild persevered vs. lowly Montreal without two of their top scorers, their offense looked out of sync against a better Stars defense.

Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Marcus Johansson formed the team’s new-look top line after they teamed up for the game-winner on Thursday night once Zuccarello and Eriksson Ek exited, but they had few looks when they were together.

Kaprizov’s goal, his team-leading 11th, came after Marco Rossi subbed in for Johansson during the third period.

Before then, one of the Wild’s closest calls was a Jake Middleton shot off the post late in the second.

Faber also had a glorious chance, but his stick broke as he attempted a wide-open one-timer.

Of the Wild’s total 23 shots, the defense accounted for 11.

Factor in how the team limited Dallas to one goal after the Stars scored seven in each of their past two wins, and the Wild’s performance in their own end was a silver lining — particularly since they were without Brodin, who missed a second straight game with an upper-body injury.

Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson staved off 14 shots from the Stars before Marchment redirected in an Ilya Lyubushkin wind-up with 1:17 left in the first period.

Gustavsson remained steady, finishing with 38 saves after Marchment doubled Dallas’ lead by burying a puck in front of the crease at 11:24 of the third period, and the penalty kill denied the Stars’ lone power play to go 16 for 16 over the past five games. But the Wild applying only lackluster pressure at the other end of the rink until the third made a comeback difficult.

All four lines, not just the first, were tweaked.

Michael Milne made his NHL debut in front of his parents, Deryn and Jerry, and girlfriend, Madison, after accompanying the team on its last road trip but never playing.

“Saturday night. State of Hockey. Couldn’t ask for much more,” said Milne, who was drafted by the Wild in the third round in 2022.

Liam Ohgren also drew into the lineup after he was beckoned from the minors on Friday, where he tallied four goals in four games during a confidence-boosting stint with Iowa in the American Hockey League.

But the absence of Zuccarello and Eriksson Ek was noticeable; the power play went 0 for 2 and registered just one shot against Oettinger, who improved to 6-0-1 vs. the Wild.

This was the Stars’ fourth straight win against the Wild and sixth victory in their past seven matchups after they swept the series last season; the Wild haven’t won since they prevailed 2-1 in a shootout on Feb. 17, 2023.

Fortunately for the Wild, Brodin and Eriksson Ek could return soon.

They’re considered day-to-day, and Brodin skated on Saturday morning while Eriksson Ek was feeling “a lot better,” coach John Hynes said.

The rematch vs. Dallas isn’t until Dec. 27, the Wild’s first game out of the holiday break.

If they get healthy and stay near the top of the NHL, perhaps then the Wild will finally have a chance to measure their mettle.