Wild measured up to classic test of playoff hockey in Game 1

DALLAS — The Wild prepared for playoff hockey, and that's exactly what they got.

Meltdowns. Rallies. Rough stuff. Clutch saves. Timely goals. More rough stuff.

And that was just the second period.

In their first game against Dallas, a game and a half that started Monday but didn't end until the wee hours Tuesday, the Wild experienced all that the playoffs have to offer and didn't flinch.

Instead, they looked comfortable in the chaos, and their 3-2 double-overtime Game 1 win over the Stars was a reward for the in-season reps they took to ready themselves for high-stakes hockey.

"We knew we were built for this," Matt Dumba said. "It didn't matter how long it was going to take [in Game 1]. We were locked in mentally."

From the get-go, the urgency of the postseason was palpable, but the Wild skated as they did in February and March, that's how on-brand they were.

They had a calm start that culminated in an impressive deflection goal by Kirill Kaprizov on a first period power play. Even when they blew that lead during a stunningly quick turnaround — the Stars scoring back-to-back goals in a combined nine seconds of power-play time — the Wild didn't have a fight-or-flight reaction. Actually, they had the opposite response: They were unfazed.

"There's no letdown, and that's what our group's done all year," Evason said. "We've talked about that before with hockey teams, is there's a sag when something negative happens? Our team doesn't have that in us, in them. They just keep going."

That poise was put to the test.

Dumba crushed Dallas' Joe Pavelski in the second period with a shoulder-to-shoulder check that was initially whistled a major penalty, then overturned. Pavelski, who hit his head on the ice, left the game and didn't return. The Stars' Max Domi fought Dumba after the hit, and the two were assessed roughing minors with Domi also receiving a 10-minute misconduct.

"You don't want to see anybody get hurt," Evason said. "But I'm glad that we have video review because it looks like he hits him in the head. But obviously if you watch it, the stick hits him. ... They got it right."

Before the period wrapped, Sam Steel delivered the equalizer on a breakaway in his first career playoff appearance.

"You've just got to stay even-keel," Dumba said. "You can't get too high or low. I thought we did a great job of that, just sticking with it."

Never was that truer than in overtime. Dallas was in control for most of the extended action, racking up 27 shots.

But goalie Filip Gustavsson was lights-out in his first playoff game, the puck even at times sticking to him like Velcro. His 51 saves set the franchise record for the playoffs.

"After the second period, I tried to go into locker room and reset there," he said. "Then in the third and first overtime, it felt like it started hitting me and kept the rebounds close to me. That's when I started to feel more comfortable in the game."

In front of Gustavsson was strong stick work by the Wild's defense, which also denied the Stars power play once in each overtime period. Brock Faber, in just his third NHL game, had one of the best sequences, the rookie diving in time to tip a Mason Marchment shot out of play.

"That was my guy, so thankfully I did get a stick on it," Faber said. "I obviously should have been tighter, but glad I got pretty lucky at the end there and could keep that game going."

Minutes later, the Wild capitalized on a whiffed clearing attempt by Dallas, Ryan Hartman stuffing the turnover behind goalie Jake Oettinger at 12 minutes, 20 seconds of double overtime to put a bow on the Wild's longest game (92:20) at 1 a.m. on the nose.

None of these challenges were new to the Wild, not after they practiced them throughout the regular season. Maybe they weren't jammed into one game but now that they have, there shouldn't be any surprises the rest of the way.

"There were a lot of situations in this hockey game that our group had to handle," Evason said. "So, it's a good first step. That is ultimate playoff hockey."