Kulak scores in OT, Avalanche eliminate Wild, advance to Western Conference Final

DENVER -- Brett Kulak scored at 3:52 of overtime, and the Colorado Avalanche rallied to eliminate the Minnesota Wild with a 4-3 win in Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round at Ball Arena on Wednesday.

“You always like to dream about it ... the player I am, I'm not the guy everyone's looking down the bench like, 'Alright, get out there and go win it for us,’” Kulak said. “It was a tough series. That's a good team over there, so for us to play the way we did and get the job done (is great). And just for me, a special goal in my career, for sure.”

Kulak finished Martin Necas’ crossing pass with a one-timer from the right dot past a sprawling Jesper Wallstedt to cap Colorado's four-goal rally.

“'Kuley' makes so many plays. … He's been making us miserable to play against," Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said. "He defends hard, and tonight he was in the right spot at the right time.”

Minnesota blew a three-goal, first-period lead. With Scott Wedgewood pulled for the extra attacker, Nathan MacKinnon tied it 3-3 at 18:37 of the third period with a wrist shot from under the left dot that went top shelf short side over Wallstedt's shoulder to send it to overtime.

“Obviously, that one hurts a lot,” Wallstedt said. “I haven't looked at it, but it felt like I was in good position. It felt like I had the right read. Maybe I was a little passive or went down a little quick, but also he picked his corner, and I think in the long run, that's a save I make most of the time, but not today. Today, he scored. That one definitely hurts a lot to me.”

Said Minnesota coach John Hynes: “It was a heck of a shot by an unbelievable player, but I think when you look at where it goes in, he had a pinpoint shot. But you look at it, they have a netfront (player), they have a bumper player, they have a backside player. We had all those areas covered, and MacKinnon made a heck of a shot.”

The Avalanche will play either the Vegas Golden Knights or Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference Final. Vegas leads that series 3-2, with Game 6 on Thursday (9:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN360, TVAS).

“I think now (I'll) pay closer attention to that (series). The playoffs are a long grind and you want to keep your focus narrow,” Kulak said. “It's just been Minnesota the last number of days, but now we can get some rest and turn our attention. Just keep an eye on both those teams and see how that series goes.”

Parker Kelly scored a goal and had an assist, and Necas and Brent Burns each had two assists for the Avalanche, the No. 1 seed from the Central Division and the Western Conference. Mackenzie Blackwood allowed three goals on 13 shots before being replaced at the start of the second period by Wedgewood, who stopped all seven shots in relief.

“That one was something, but give them credit,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “I felt like there was some moments in the game where we were a little down, but we had enough guys that were upbeat, positive, kept the belief -- that kind of dragged the other guys into the fight a little bit.

“It wasn't everyone's best game, that's for sure, but that's what a team's all about. You're dragging each other into the fight and trying to find a way. It was a struggle, but we got it done.”

Nick Foligno scored twice and Marcus Johansson also scored for the Wild, the No. 3 seed from the Central. Matt Boldy and Nico Sturm each had two assists, and Wallstedt made 30 saves.

“When you go after something like this, right, there's going to be two sides of the coin. One is you're going to win, which is a great feeling, and when you lose, it's an empty feeling,” Hynes said. “It's a little raw right now. But as I said earlier, I think this group was a highly competitive group throughout the year, stuck together, went through the ups and the downs, and I think we'll take a look at the first series (a 4-2 series win against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference First Round) and take lessons out of that. And I think you're going to take some things out of this, and then you have to move forward.”

Johansson scored to make it 1-0 Minnesota 34 seconds into the first period with a one-timer from the left circle that beat Blackwood's glove far side. Boldy made a move to shake off Colorado forward Brock Nelson in the left corner before sending a backhand pass to Johansson from below the goal line for the play.

Foligno extended it to 2-0 at 11:03 after he snuck around Kulak on the rush and redirected Sturm’s centering pass five-hole. Blackwood appeared to make the save initially, but the puck trickled through.

“I think I had a really, really good idea that that was the way we were going to come out. That’s the character of our group, so not too much of a surprise there,” Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes said. “That's what really stings. It just felt like we had a really good team, and you get through these guys, you never know, but if we had to lose it, you want to lose to these guys. These guys are the best, (they're) Presidents' Trophy (winners).”

Michael McCarron appeared to make it 3-0 at 12:25 after the rebound of Kirill Kaprizov’s initial shot ricocheted off the crossbar, caromed off McCarron and got through Blackwood's five-hole. Video review determined McCarron played the puck with his hand and the goal was overturned.

“They deserved to win this series, plain and simple,” Wild defenseman Brock Faber said. “That’s where it just gets frustrating, right? Because when we are at our absolute best, I think we can beat this team. Just, they were more consistent. I feel like they outplayed us most of the series, which that's just how it is, that's just plain and simple. You can't really hide or dance around the fact that they outplayed us, but like I said, that's where the frustration comes in.”

Foligno scored again to make it 3-0 at 15:56 when he finished another Sturm centering pass at the left side of the net. Sturm made a desperation play, diving to knock his own rebound across the crease to Foligno, who was wide open for the snap shot.

“Obviously, great first period. Just tried to hang on,” Foligno said. “There were some chances for sure, but they just kept coming. They’re a really good team at coming in waves. Two tipped goals and one at the end there that's just a great shot by a great player. Overtime, anything can happen, but you get a little bit stunned when you're up 3-0. You've got to give them a lot of credit, that's a really fast-paced team.”​

Kelly cut it to 3-1 at 11:00 of the second period when he deflected Burns’ point shot short side past the left shoulder of Wallstedt. Colorado forward Joel Kiviranta dug the puck out of a scrum in the left corner and fed it up the boards to Kulak, who sent it point to point to Burns for the shot.

“It was kind of a muck down there for a bit. Puck wasn't really moving in the corner, and 'Kivi' was in a great spot off the scrum there,” Kelly said. “(The puck) gets kicked up to the point. I just tried to beat Faber back to the net. Kind of got a good jump out of it off the hop, and kind of got in front of him, and just tried to present my stick. I mean, ‘Burnsy,' he's so good at shooting for sticks and putting it in place where I can tip it, and he's been doing that all year. So, just tried to get in front of it, get a stick on it. And, I mean, tips are a little bit lucky, but I tried to get a good piece of it, and it went in.”

Jack Drury made it 3-2 at 16:27 of the third period after he deflected Devon Toews’ point shot in the high slot. Drury won the face-off at the left dot and stationed himself in front of the net, battling until the shot came his way.

“They’ve been an amazing line (Kelly, Drury, Kiviranta) all season for us. I think they play a huge role for us,” MacKinnon said. “Tonight, (Drury) getting us back in it, and (Kelly), so yeah, they scored twice. I mean, they’re doing an unreal job. It just shows you need literally everybody to win a series in this League. It’s so difficult.”

NOTES: Kulak became the 16th Avalanche player with a goal during the Western Conference Second Round, which is tied for the most in a single series with the 2025 Blues (Western Conference First Round), 2019 Bruins (Stanley Cup Final), 1993 Kings (Division Semifinal) and 1988 Bruins (Eastern Conference Final). … MacKinnon has scored a goal in 46.2 percent of his career playoff games (48 of 104 games), which ties Craig Simpson (31 of 67 games; 46.2 percent) for the third-highest rate in NHL history. … The Avalanche earned their first series-clinching win in Denver since Game 6 of the 2008 Conference Quarterfinals. … The Avalanche became the seventh team in NHL Stanley Cup Playoff history to have 17 different players score a goal through the team’s first nine games. … The Avalanche became the fifth team in NHL history to earn a series-clinching win after facing a multigoal deficit in the final five minutes of regulation. … Hughes (15 points in 11 games) became the second fastest American defenseman in NHL history to 15 points in a postseason behind Brian Leetch (nine games in 1994).