Avalanche Claim 5-2 Road Victory Over Wild
The Colorado Avalanche secured a hard-fought, 5-2 road victory over the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul on Monday night, giving them a commanding, 3-1 series lead and the opportunity to close the series out at home in Denver on Wednesday. Avalanche fourth-liner Parker Kelly earned First Star honors after potting the game-winning goal, and center Nazem Kadri rounded out earned the Third Star with a game-tying goal of his own.
Game Highlights
Minnesota initiated the scoring in the first period, leveraging a man-advantage to take an early lead. At the 10:14 mark, Danila Yurov deflected a 14-foot tip-in past Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, and the Wild went into the first intermission with a 1-0 advantage.
Colorado countered midway through the second period by capitalizing on their own power-play opportunity. At 13:52, Nazem Kadri received a feed from Martin Necas and wired a 22-foot wrist shot into the upper left corner over Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt’s shoulder. The goal leveled the game at 1-1, where it stayed until the final 20 minutes of regulation.
An explosive third period produced four combined goals and multiple momentum shifts. Colorado took their initial lead at 13:04 when Nicolas Roy set up Ross Colton, who placed a nine-foot wrist shot into the lower left corner of the net, but the advantage was short-lived; Minnesota responded quickly at 10:45 when star defenseman Quinn Hughes created an opportunity for former Avalanche player Nico Sturm, who snapped a 17-foot shot into the lower right side to tie the contest at 2-2.
Colorado permanently reclaimed the lead at 8:28 of the final frame when winger Jack Drury found Kelly, who stepped into a 44-foot slap shot that rocketed past Wallstedt and into the upper right corner. Trailing by one, Minnesota pulled Wallstedt late for an extra attacker, but Colorado executed efficiently of defense, and Nathan MacKinnon converted an 80-foot empty-net goal with 33 seconds remaining off Necas’ second assist of the night. Just 25 seconds later, Brock Nelson intercepted the puck and sent a 170-foot unassisted shot into the vacant cage for the 5-2 result.
Key Takeaways
Offensive Volume and Shot Efficiency
Colorado maintained a heavy offensive workload throughout the contest, out-attempting Minnesota 66 to 59. This shot volume translated to a 34-21 edge in shots on goal, and 14.7 percent shooting efficiency for the Avalanche. Colorado generated quality looks from high-danger zones, converting 33 percent of their chances from the high slot (1-for-3) and 17 percent from the low slot (1-for-6). Conversely, Minnesota operated at a 9.5 percent shooting clip. While the Wild were efficient when they reached the interior —scoring once on three slot shots — they failed to sustain their possessions, and couldn’t match Colorado’s overall production.
Faceoff Dominance and Penalty Kill Resilience
The Avalanche controlled the flow of play at the dot, securing 35 of 65 faceoffs for a 53.8 percent success rate, but center Brock Nelson was even better, winning 16 of his 24 draws (66.7 percent). This faceoff advantage proved critical in the defensive zone, where Colorado won 61.9 percent of the face-offs in their own zone. It also factored heavily into their penalty kill; Colorado defended against 6:39 of Minnesota power-play time, mitigating the threat by winning four of seven shorthanded faceoffs (57.1 percent). On the other side of special teams, Colorado required just 2:07 of man-advantage time to secure their lone power-play goal.
Defensive Ice Time Disparities
A pronounced difference in defensive deployment dictated the pace of the game. Minnesota relied excessively on their top pairing to manage Colorado’s attack. Quinn Hughes played a game-high 34:13 across 29 shifts, while Brock Faber logged 29:19. In contrast, Colorado distributed minutes across their blue line. Devon Toews led the Avalanche defense with 28:25 of ice time, followed by Cale Makar at 26:09. In net, Mackenzie Blackwood earned the win with a complete 60-minute start, whereas Wallstedt played 58:30 before yielding to the extra attacker.
Looking Forward
With this 5-2 road victory, the Avalanche moved to 7-1 in these playoffs. The win provided a distinct blueprint for Colorado moving forward: relying on balanced defensive workloads, structured faceoff plays, and consistent, high-volume shooting.
Now Colorado returns home to Ball Arena with a chance to close out the series in five games. The Avs open as heavy -205 moneyline favorites, reflecting both their series advantage and home-ice edge. The O/U sits at 6.5, which is the same number that Game 4 closed at; the over hit on Nelson’s empty-netter in the game’s final minute.
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Sportradar Content Studio contributed to this story.
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