Wednesday Against the Wild

Minnesota Wild (5-6, C3) @ Colorado Avalanche (7-1, C1) 

6 p.m. MT | Ball Arena | Watch: TNT, truTV, HBO Max | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM), Altitude Sports Radio App 

After a 5-2 win in Game Four, the Avalanche returns home to host Game Five against the Wild on Wednesday. 

Game One: MIN 6, COL 9 

Game Two: MIN 2, COL 5 

Game Three: COL 1, MIN 5 

Game Four: COL 5, MIN 2

Tuesday Tilt 

Parker Kelly scored his first-career Stanley Cup Playoffs goal to help the Avalanche defeat the Wild 5-2 in Game Four of Round Two on Tuesday at Grand Casino Arena. Nazem Kadri, Ross Colton, Nathan MacKinnon and Brock Nelson all scored for Colorado while Martin Necas posted two assists and Mackenzie Blackwood made 19 saves. Minnesota’s Danila Yurov opened the scoring at 9:46 of the first period with a power-play goal via a net-front deflection. Kadri tied the game on the power play at 6:08 of the middle frame with his second goal of the playoffs via a right-circle shot after his first attempt was blocked. The Avs took a 2-1 lead at 6:56 of the third period when Colton scored his first goal of the playoffs via a shot from the left circle set up by Nicolas Roy’s cross-slot pass. Nico Sturm tied the game for Minnesota with a one-timer from the bottom of the right circle at 9:15 of the third period. Colorado took a 3-2 lead when Kelly scored via a one-timer from the high slot at 11:32 of the third period. MacKinnon gave the Avs a 4-2 lead at 19:27 of the third with his sixth goal of playoffs via an empty-net tally. At 19:52 of the third, Nelson made it 5-2 with his second goal of the playoffs via an empty-net tally.

Leading the Way

Nate the Great

MacKinnon is tied for fifth in the NHL in goals (6) and points (12). 

All Hail Cale

Cale Makar is tied for first among NHL defensemen in goals (4). 

Toewser Laser

Among NHL blueliners, Devon Toews is tied for fifth in points (7) while ranking tied for seventh in goals (2) and tied for eighth in assists (5). 

Series History

The Avalanche and Wild have met in the playoffs on three previous occasions, all in the Round One, with Minnesota winning in 2003 and 2014 in seven games while Colorado was victorious in six contests in 2008. 

Making Plays Against Minnesota

MacKinnon has posted 18 points (6g/12a) in 11 playoff games against the Wild, in addition to 70 points in 55 regular-season contests. 

Necas has recorded seven points (1g/6a) in four playoff contests against Minnesota, along with nine points (5g/4a) in 15 regular-season games. 

Colton has registered three points (1g/2a) in four playoff games against the Wild, in addition to eight points (4g/4a) in 16 regular-season contests. 

Scoring in St. Paul

Matt Boldy leads the Wild in goals (7) while ranking third in points (11) and tied for fifth in assists (4). 

Quinn Hughes and Kirill Kaprizov are tied for the Minnesota lead in points (14) and assists (10) while ranking tied for second in goals (4). 

Brock Faber is tied for second on the Wild in goals (4) while ranking fourth in points (10) and assists (6). 

A Numbers Game

10

Among the remaining playoff teams, the Avalanche’s 10 five-on-five goals against are the second fewest in the NHL. 

+10

Colorado has posted an NHL-best +10 third-period goal differential in the playoffs. 

18

The Avalanche’s 18 goals at home in the playoffs are tied for the second most in the NHL. 

Quotes That Left a Mark

"Even when they tied it up, there was a sense of belief that we were just gonna keep rolling and we were gonna get rewarded eventually. [We] trusted our forecheck, kept turning pucks over that way and sustained some pressure and those guys (Colton and Kelly) with great shots." 

-- Gabriel Landeskog on the Avalanche’s third period in Game Four 

"It's a high-pressure game for both teams. We feel as though our game plan last night (Monday) and how we played is super repeatable. And especially when you come home [and have] the ability to feed off our fans who've been amazing all year for us [and] have the last change. Quick reset here with the day off today, and then just try and get back after it tomorrow. But I think the main message is the urgency, the competitiveness, the game plan [and] the structure is all repeatable for our group."

-- Logan O'Connor on Game Five