The Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild became the first pair of 1/8 Stanley Cup—2026

The first pair of the 1/8 finals of the Stanley Cup 2026 has been determined in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild will meet in the first round. The teams were guaranteed to take second and third places in the Central Division of the Western Conference, which brought them together in the opening round of the playoffs.

The last time the teams played against each other in the playoffs was in 2023, also in the first round. Then Dallas won 4-2 in the series. In the last games of the regular season, Minnesota beat Seattle Kraken on the home court with a score of 5:2. In turn, Dallas beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 in overtime.

The Stanley Cup starts on April 18. The defending champion, the Florida Panthers, failed to make the playoffs and will not defend the title.

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On the night of April 5, the Florida Panthers hockey Club, which won the last two Stanley Cup draws, lost 4-9 to Pittsburgh and dropped to last place in the Atlantic Division, scoring 77 points after 76 games. The team lost its mathematical chances of reaching the playoffs, despite the remaining six regular season matches.

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