Stars' Jake Oettinger hopes for happy homecoming vs. Wild

Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger already has achieved an off-ice highlight during his trip to his home state of Minnesota.

On Thursday evening, Oettinger will try to post an on-ice highlight, as well. He and the Stars will square off against the Minnesota Wild in Saint Paul, Minn.

The Stars arrived early and practiced Wednesday in Minnesota, which allowed Oettinger a rare in-season experience. The Lakeville, Minn., native traveled to his hometown about 30 miles south of the Wild's arena to eat a home-cooked meal with his family.

"It's unreal, just to have all the family and stuff," Oettinger said. "I grew up here, I played the state tournament here. The first thing I look for when the schedule comes out is when I get to come home. ... It's special."

The Stars are playing special hockey as of late.

Dallas is riding a four-game winning streak and has outscored opponents 14-6 during that span. The Stars have earned at least one point in 11 consecutive games, and they are 9-0-2 since Nov. 20.

Meanwhile, Minnesota is returning home after an up-and-down four-game road trip that included two wins and two losses. The Wild are coming off a 4-1 win over the Seattle Kraken on Monday, which followed back-to-back losses against the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks.

Wild forward Marcus Johansson said momentum from the previous win could carry over into Thursday.

"A game like this can help a lot," Johansson said about the victory over Seattle. "It's a hard-fought, tight game, and we found a way to get the points. We turned this into an OK road trip instead of a not so very good one, and we're going to take that with us and build on it in the next game."

Minnesota will have to find a way to slow down the Stars' top scorer, Mikko Rantanen, who has 42 points (13 goals, 29 assists) in 30 games. Jason Robertson ranks second on the team with 39 points (19 G, 20 A), and Wyatt Johnston has 36 points (16 G, 20 A).

Oettinger is the likely starter in net for Dallas. He is 14-4-2 with a 2.49 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage this season, and he is 8-0-3 with a 2.19 GAA and a .926 save percentage in 13 career games against the Wild.

Minnesota's top scorer is Kirill Kaprizov, who has 33 points (18 G, 15 A) in 30 games. Matt Boldy is next with 32 points (16 G, 16 A), and Johansson has 21 points (9 G, 12 A).

The Wild could start either Filip Gustavsson or Jesper Wallstedt in net. Gustavsson is 8-8-3 with a 2.67 GAA and a .908 save percentage, and Wallstedt is 8-1-2 with a 1.95 GAA and a .936 save percentage.

Gustavsson is 5-4-0 with a 2.01 GAA and a .937 save percentage in nine career games against the Stars. Wallstedt is 0-1-0 and allowed seven goals in his only career game against Dallas.

Oettinger said he cannot wait for the game to start.

"Whenever we play them, it feels super intense," he said. "It feels like a playoff game."

--Field Level Media