The Stars and Wild began occupying second and third place in the Central Division on Nov. 21. They jockeyed for position behind the Colorado Avalanche, but they remained in second and third place, regardless of order, for the rest of the regular season.

They are two of the eight teams that finished with 100 or more points this season.

“I think it’s a battle of two really, really good teams,” Stars forward Wyatt Johnston said. “All you have to do is look at the standings and see these are two of the better teams in the League. This is what you play for the whole regular season, to get into the playoffs and put yourself into an opportunity to succeed. I think it’ll be an awesome series.”

It’s expected to be close.

The Stars and Wild split the four games they played, each winning two at home, including a pair of games played in the past month. Minnesota won 2-1 in overtime at Grand Casino Arena on March 21 and Dallas won 5-4 at American Airlines Center on April 9.

The Stars also won 5-2 at home on Oct. 14. The Wild won 5-2 at home on Dec. 11. In both cases, the winning team scored two empty-net goals to make it look like it was a blowout win when it was not.

“We match up well,” Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon said. “Each game we’ve played against them it’s been a tight playoff-type atmosphere. For us, just looking forward to the challenge. You want to give yourself a chance to win the Stanley Cup. We’re excited.”