Stars-Wild in NHL playoffs with top rookies from 2 years ago

DALLAS — Dal- las Stars forward Ja- son Robertson is quick to point out that while he finished second behind Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov for the Calder Trophy, it wasn’t even a close vote to determine the NHL’s top rookie two years ago.

Kaprizov, who got 99 of the 100 first-place votes back then, and Robertson are now the leading scorers on their respective teams. They face each other in the first round of the NHL playoffs, with the Central Division rival Stars and Wild opening their best-of-7 series Monday night.

“He’s an amazing player,” Kaprizov said of Robertson, the 23-year-old who this season became Dallas’ first 100-point scorer (46 goals, 63 assists). “He gets opportunities from nothing.”

Robertson said much the same about Kaprizov, whose 40 goals and 35 assists came in 67 games. He was back for Minnesota’s final two regular-season games after missing a month with a lower-body injury, and said he was starting to feel like himself again after that and a couple of practices.

“You just see the development, how much he’s taken over as their main guy, as their top scorer, top player, and so dynamic on the ice,” Robertson said. “He’s someone that can elude you, can get away and just make something happen out of nothing, and just create so much.”

Neither Dallas, going into the postseason on a six-game winning streak, or Minnesota made it out of the first round of the playoffs last year. Robertson scored only one goal in seven games against Calgary. Kaprizov, who would turn 26 during this series if it goes past five games, had seven goals in a six-game loss to St. Louis. It was the Wild’s sixth consecutive loss in the opening round.

“We left last year’s playoffs disappointed in how we handled the situation, all of us,” thirdyear Wild coach Dean Evason said. “We talked to ourselves and to each other about we have to be better when we get back there. We’re back there, we have to be better.”

IN NET

Three-time Stanley Cup winner Marc-André Fleury is in the playoffs for the 17th consecutive season, the longest streak for an NHL goalie. He is part of a Wild tandem and expected to split games in the playoffs with 24-year-old Filip Gustavsson, like they did most of the season.

When Evason was asked if he knew who would start Game 1, he said he did, then laughed when telling reporters he wouldn’t say who.

The Stars have Minnesota native Jake Oettinger, whose NHL debut came during the 2020 playoffs. He had 64 saves in Game 7 against the Flames last May, part of his 272 over seven games before an overtime goal ended the first-round series. Oettinger is 37-1111 this season with five shutouts.

“Just that poise and that confidence and swagger he’s had over the past couple of years that he’s developed is something that is an advantage for us, especially after last year’s playoffs,” Robertson said. “I’m sure he’ll have that same type of swagger.”

FROM NORTH TO SOUTH

Before moving south to Dallas in 1993, the Stars called Minnesota home and were the North Stars. The expansion Wild’s first season was 2000-01.

Wild general manager Bill Guerin played 18