Glen Gulutzan provides new update after Nils Lundkvist’s scary injury
Glen Gulutzan tipped his Game 5 hand this afternoon, and Nils Lundkvist is the name not skating tonight when Dallas hosts Minnesota in a tied series.
The 25-year-old Swedish defenseman is hurt. The Stars head coach confirmed Ilya Lyubushkin will draw into the lineup. The forward group stays the same. Jake Oettinger gets the net.
Lundkvist played all 4 games this round and put up 2 assists with a +1 rating. He was the seventh defenseman who became a regular when the postseason started. Now the Stars need depth on the right side again.
Lyubushkin hasn't played a postseason game yet this spring. The 32-year-old Russian finished the regular season with 9 points in 53 games at a $3.25 million cap hit. He's a heavy, physical right-shot.
This is the kind of swap that flips a top-four into a top-six conversation.
Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley have both struggled to a -2 or worse in the series. The Stars are bleeding shots when their best stay on the ice.
The series sits 2-2 after Dallas dropped Game 4 in overtime on Saturday. The Wild stole that one 3-2 in extra time. Game 5 is the swing game in a series that has flipped every night.
You don't play Lyubushkin to score. You play him to make the front of your crease unpleasant. That's a coach reading the room.
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Why Oettinger's net stays untouched no matter what
Jake Oettinger is sitting on a .902 save percentage in the series with a 1-1 record and an overtime loss. The numbers aren't elite. The trust is.
The 27-year-old American is the franchise. He earns $8.25 million and just signed up for the long haul.
There was never a goalie debate to be had. Casey DeSmith stays on the bench.
Jason Robertson has been the offensive engine this round. The winger has 4 goals and 6 points in 4 games. He's the reason this series is tied instead of upside-down.
Matt Duchene leads Dallas in playoff scoring with 7 points across 4 games. Mikko Rantanen has chipped in 5 points but sits at -4 in the series.
The depth is there. The defensive lapses are not.
Roope Hintz finished the regular season with 44 points in 53 games. He's been listed day-to-day with a lower body issue that hasn't fully resolved. Gulutzan keeping his forward group intact suggests Hintz is good to go.
Why does the Lyubushkin call matter? Minnesota beat Dallas at home in Game 1, 6-1.
The Wild scored 14 goals through the first four games. Gulutzan needed a body for the front of Oettinger's crease, full stop.
Jim Nill built this group at the deadline by adding Rantanen for $12 million.
The Stars haven't finished better than 50-20-12 in years and still have one of the league's best regular season records.
Tonight is the kind of game where a 32-year-old depth defenseman can change a series narrative.
Or watch a 5-on-5 goal go in over his shoulder. The next 60 minutes decide which one.
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YESTERDAY
APRIL 29, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Pavel Dorofeyev | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Shea Theodore | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Clayton Keller | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Carcone | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Lawson Crouse | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Kirby Dach | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brendan Gallagher | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jake Guentzel | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dominic James | 1 | - | 1 | |
| John Marino | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexandre Texier | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Cam York | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Noah Cates | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Gage Goncalves | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Yanni Gourde | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||