Brock Faber scored the first two postseason goals of his career in Dallas on Monday night, including the tying goal in the first period and another in the third, but the Wild still needed more. The 23-year-old defenseman answered a pair of times in Game 2 and still walked off with the same blunt verdict on the night: it does not really matter unless you win.
Faber’s first goal tied the game 1-1 in the opening period, and his second pulled Minnesota within one again late. It was the kind of performance that can change a series, especially from a defenseman who had gone through his first two playoff series without a point before this one. Matt Boldy said Faber is the sort of player who wants the puck and wants to be the difference maker, adding that the Wild expect nights like this from him and that he is huge for the team.
Faber had already been involved in the series before his breakout night. In Game 1, he assisted on Ryan Hartman’s goal and finished with a game-high plus-4 rating, matching Ryan Suter for the franchise single-game postseason mark. Through two games, he has gone from steady support piece to one of the main reasons Minnesota has kept pace at all.
That rise has come quickly. The Wild acquired Faber from Los Angeles on June 29, 2022, and he made his NHL debut just before the 2023 playoffs after finishing as the national runner-up with the University of Minnesota Gophers at the Frozen Four. He is now in his third full season, coming off a career-high 15 goals and 51 points, and John Hynes said his growth has been helped by his experiences with USA Hockey, the Four Nations and the Olympics, along with a gold medal with Team USA this winter.
Hynes also said Faber is playing a really efficient game and is not forcing offense, but taking what is there. That is what made Game 2 feel different. The danger for Minnesota is obvious: Faber can supply more, but unless the Wild turn those goals into a win, his night becomes a footnote instead of a swing point.
