Wild shut down by Stars 4-0 in Game 5; Marcus Foligno ejected for first-period hit

DALLAS — Marcus Foligno was already wearing his postgame suit while the players milling around the Wild locker room had just recently shed their jerseys. Foligno was a spectator for almost the entire game they played.

Now the Wild are in a situation where if they don't win their next game, everyone will be an onlooker for the rest of the playoffs.

"It's a tough feeling coming back in here by yourself and seeing your team down a man the whole game," Foligno said.

The Wild are trailing their best-of-seven series against the Stars for the first time but are one loss away from elimination, this their reality after getting schooled 4-0 by the Stars on Tuesday night at American Airlines Center to fall behind 3-2 in the first round after a tumultuous start that included Foligno getting ejected.

"You feel sorry for the guys," Foligno said. "We worked hard. We're working hard all series. We're not getting a lot of great calls. You feel like you let your team down."

Foligno was tossed only 2 minutes, 14 seconds into the first period after kneeing Dallas center Radek Faksa, a collision that left the Wild with only 11 forwards and netted the Stars a five-minute power play.

Only eight seconds later, center Tyler Seguin jabbed a rebound by Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson to give Dallas a lead they'd never relinquish.

Lakeville's Jake Oettinger finished with 27 saves for his second career shutout in the playoffs.

Game 6 is Friday at Xcel Energy Center and set for a 7 p.m. start.

"Not ideal," Wild defenseman Matt Dumba said. "Not the way we thought it was going to go."

Foligno's early exit came after he was penalized for his physicality in Game 4.

The winger was levied with two questionable calls on Sunday night in St. Paul, infractions that stemmed from Foligno going for hits. Foligno disputed the penalties, defending the hits after the Wild's 3-2 loss, and the spotlight stayed on him after his single shift (27 seconds) in Game 5. Faksa did continue playing in the first period after a brief absence.

"I don't agree with it, obviously," Foligno said. "I'm keeping my lane, and it's unfortunate we both hit in that leg area. I wouldn't say it's a knee-on-knee. I hit him on the upper area. He's rotating out of the way. I don't move my leg at all. I stay my course. That's how I see it.

"If you want to give me a penalty, for sure, but a five-minute and a game misconduct to throw us out of here? Yeah, I just don't agree with that."

After Foligno left, Seguin scored his fourth goal of the postseason and all four came on a Stars power play that keeps tormenting the Wild. Dallas is 9-for-22 in the series after this 2-for-6 performance in Game 5.

"The onus is on us to pick up on what they're doing and react to it," defenseman Jake Middleton said.

That second tally arrived later in the first period, at 11:04, after winger Jason Robertson flung the puck past by Gustavsson from inside the right faceoff circle.

Winger Mason Marchment tacked on a rare 5-on-5 goal 1:19 into the second period when he pounced on a Seguin rebound. Gustavsson totaled 21 saves; he was on the bench when center Ty Dellandrea dumped the puck into an empty net with 3:57 left in the third. Center Roope Hintz factored in three goals by the Stars, his 11 points far and away the best in the series and six more than the Wild's top point getters.

As for the Wild's power play, they blew all three chances they had to try to chip away at their deficit.

Overall, the Wild are 4-for-20 in the first round. Only one of those is from winger Kirill Kaprizov, his lone goal vs. the Stars. Winger Matt Boldy has none at any strength. The four games Kaprizov has gone without a point is the longest drought of his NHL career.

"We have no doubt that our group and those guys in particular will show up in Game 6," Wild coach Dean Evason said.

Their season depends on it.

"This series isn't over," Dumba said. "Simple as that."