Brock Faber Drives Wild With 3 Goals and 2 Assists

brock faber has become the Wild’s most productive defenseman in the first-round playoff series against Dallas, posting three goals, two assists and a plus-7 rating through four games. Minnesota and Dallas are tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 at American Airlines Center on Tuesday, April 28.

Faber’s playoff output

Faber’s five points lead all Wild defensemen in the series and put him among the top playoff scorers at his position. Entering Monday, his three goals were tied for the most by a defenseman in the Stanley Cup playoffs, while his five points were tied for second among defensemen behind Jackson LaCombe’s eight for Anaheim.

The 23-year-old Maple Grove native has done it without giving up much at the other end. He has been on the ice for only one Stars goal at 5-on-5, and the rest of Dallas’ scoring against him has come with him on the penalty kill.

Quinn Hughes on Faber

Faber has widened the gap between the player he was in college and the one skating point on Minnesota’s second power-play unit now. He said, “I learn more and more.” He added, “I get more confident,” and, “I try to be as solid as I can on both sides.”

That balance has shown up in how he handles mistakes and creates offense. “Definitely that comes with confidence and understanding that if you do make a mistake, you’re going to make up for it,” he said. “That’s something I’m trying to get better at each day.”

Game 2 and Game 5

His one clear miscue came in Game 2, when he tried to interrupt a Dallas clear while the Wild were on the power play and took a black eye. “We were on the power play,” he said. “They tried to ice the puck. I tried to catch it, and I clearly didn’t.”

Quinn Hughes, Faber’s teammate in the series, described what Minnesota is getting from him with a simple breakdown: “He’s got a big engine,” Hughes said, adding that he can “really skate, covers so much ground, so much ice, ultracompetitive.”

Faber’s shot and confidence have turned him into a major part of Minnesota’s offense at a time when the series is level. With Game 5 set for Dallas, his production has already done more than fill a box score; it has kept the Wild in position to keep scoring from the blue line while still leaning on him for the defensive details that have defined his game.