DALLAS _ As the early-season losses on the road piled up for the Wild, so did another number.
How many goals the team was giving up.
After frequently surrendering four or five, coach Bruce Boudreau pinpointed stingier defense as necessary for the Wild to start becoming more competitive as the visitor.
Players were able to show improvement in that area Tuesday at the start of a two-game trip through the Central Division but only for 39 minutes.
The other 21 minutes were a mess, a jaw-dropping collapse in which the Wild blew a three-goal cushion to get shell-shocked, 6-3, by the Stars at American Airlines Center to fall to 1-7 on the road and 4-8 overall.
Dallas' Alexander Radulov's hat trick included the game-winner that capped off the comeback 11:31 in the third, a shot that bounced off defenseman Jonas Brodin and into the net to wrap one of the most scrambly sequences of the season by the Wild.
Just 1:55 earlier, the Stars tied it at 3 on another own goal by the Wild _ this one a deflection off winger Jordan Greenway's stick from a centering attempt by center Joe Pavelski.
As quick as these tallies were, a rally by the Stars wasn't hard to see coming because the Wild struggled to protect their three-goal lead _ a fall that wasted a strong start by the team.
Only 2:50 into the first period, center Eric Staal's tenacious forecheck forced a behind-the-net turnover and he set up winger Jason Zucker for a one-timer from the slot that counted as Zucker's fourth goal.
Then, with 2:06 to go in the period, Staal converted on the power play.
He accepted a pass from winger Mats Zuccarello off the rush and wired in a shot from the left faceoff circle for his fourth goal on his 35th birthday. Staal and Zucker are now tied with defenseman Brad Hunt for the team lead in goals.
Stars goalie Ben Bishop, who made eight saves in the first, was replaced for the second by Anton Khudobin.
That Wild lead could have grown exponentially in the second, with the Wild skating around a discombobulated Stars group _ giving the game a similar feel to Saturday's when the Wild cruised by the Kings 5-1.
The knockout punch that night came in the third period, when the Wild pulled away with three goals to take advantage of a flailing Los Angeles team.
Against Dallas, which at has also been an early disappointment, the blow appeared to come late in the second: a point shot from defenseman Ryan Suter on the power play at 14:26 that made it 3-0.
But before the frame expired, Dallas was able to eat into its deficit when Radulov got a stick on a loose puck in front with 48 seconds to go.
After that, the Stars took over.
They scored another early in the third, at 4:09 on a shot from winger Roope Hintz on the power play. Dallas ended up going 1-for-4.
The Stars only stiffened the pressure after that goal, and Boudreau called a timeout to reset the Wild. But it didn't help, with Dallas burying two more and killing off a Wild power play to preserve its lead. The Wild finished 2 for 5 with the man advantage.
Center Tyler Seguin added an insurance marker, finishing off a Jamie Been setup off a Zucker turnover at 18:20. Radulov completed his hat trick into an empty net with 30 seconds left.
Stalock had 31 saves. Khudobin made 11.
