Wild falls to Stars 3-2 in Game 4, series tied 2-2 shifting back to Dallas

Wild coach Dean Evason reacts after Game 4 loss

Minnesota Wild coach Dean Evason meets reporters after a 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars in Game 4 on Sunday to even their Stanley Cup Playoff series 2-2.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Wild will head back to Dallas with their Stanley Cup Playoff series tied 2-2, and will likely hit the road unhappy with the officiating after a 3-2 loss to the Stars on Sunday at Xcel Energy Center.

The Stars got power play goals in the first period and third period, and both came after penalties against winger Marcus Foligno that could be considered more than questionable. Both penalties resulted in goals for Dallas.

Fox9 Sports Now: Jim Rich, Pat Micheletti react after Wild playoff loss

Jim Rich and Pat Micheletti react after the Wild lost 3-2 to the Dallas Stars in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs Sunday night at Xcel Energy Center.

After the loss, Foligno called both penalties "Bull***t."

"Listen, everyone in the hockey world watched that game. We all know what happened. I'm not going to comment on them," Wild coach Dean Evason said after the loss.

His first penalty for interference came on a hit just after a Dallas player had gotten rid of the puck. The Stars turned it into a power play goal at 15:42 of the first period, from Tyler Seguin.

Dallas took a 2-0 lead at the 3:05 mark of the third period after Evegeni Dadonov scored on assists from Roope Hintz and Esa Lindell. The Wild got on the board less than three minutes later, with John Klingberg scoring at the 5:58 mark on assists from Mats Zuccarello and Ryan Hartman.

Then the Stars got the back-breaker, a power-play goal at 16:29 of the third period. That’s after Foligno was called for tripping on a play where he went for a check and ended up with a bloodied nose on the ice.

"It’s a joke. It doesn’t make any sense. I go to hit a guy. He touches the puck. It’s not interference. I get high-sticked in the face. It’s not a tripping call when you hit a guy clean on. It’s bull***t," Foligno said.

The Stars took a 3-1 on Seguin’s second goal of the night with 3:31 to play. The Wild weren’t done as Freddy Gaudreau scored a power play goal at the 18:40 mark of the third period to cut the deficit to 3-2.

With Filip Gustavsson pulled and needing a goal to force overtime, Marcus Johansson had an open net on a rebound try with less than 10 seconds to play, but Jake Oettinger got there for the save to seal a Dallas win.

The Wild squandered a chance to take a 3-1 lead in the series, something that’s never happened in franchise history despite Sunday being the fourth try, and put Dallas on the ropes for Game 5. Instead, the two teams head south tied 2-2, with Game 5 set for Tuesday night in Dallas. The loss also guarantees a Game 6 for the Wild next Friday night at Xcel Energy Center.