ST. PAUL, Minn. — On a beautiful spring afternoon, the area outside Grand Casino Arena came alive with a street party filled with eager Minnesota Wild fans, marking the team’s first home game in the second round in over a decade. One fan confidently declared to a reporter, “The series starts tonight.” The reporter quipped back, “Or ends.”
It’s never truly over until the final buzzer, but the Wild knew they couldn’t afford to fall into a 3-0 series hole against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche. Now, after a commanding performance, the series is alive again.
Playing with a do-or-die attitude and looking far more like their usual selves, the Wild came out aggressively in Game 3. They outhit the Avalanche 18-8 in the first period and went on to outscore them 5-1, cutting Colorado’s series lead to 2-1 heading into Game 4 on Monday. The extra rest after Game 2 clearly helped Minnesota reset.
“We were a bit rested and got to catch our breath,” said Wild forward Marcus Foligno. “We got to our game early. It was nice to take the lead and never look back. We were a little soft in Games 1 and 2—just our pace of play. I thought they looked a lot quicker than us. The rest helped us find our bearings. After a tough series against Dallas, you get thrown right into this. Our backs were against the wall, and it was great to play the way we did. They’re a great team, but if we can play that style, our game, it shows it works.”
Kirill Kaprizov was outstanding, notching a goal and two assists for his third three-point game of the postseason. The top defensive pair of Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber combined for two goals and three assists, Ryan Hartman scored a power-play goal that chased Colorado goalie Scott Wedgewood in the second period, and Matt Boldy added an empty-netter.
“Kirill could have had three or four goals tonight,” Hartman said. “He was great.”
Jesper Wallstedt, back in net after allowing eight goals in Game 1 and getting a mental break in Game 2, made 35 saves.
“We came out with desperation,” said Faber. “There are no excuses for how we played in Denver. Tonight was much better. Tonight was the way we play.”
The Wild outhit Colorado 39-25, led by a combined 15 hits from Marcus and Nick Foligno. It was the Avalanche’s first loss in seven playoff games this year.
Kaprizov now leads all NHL playoff scorers with 14 points, tying Zach Parise for the second-most in Wild history in a single postseason. Hughes and Faber each have four goals this postseason, tying the franchise record for defensemen in a playoff run.
Avalanche’s four-on-four struggles
The Wild believed they made the right adjustments in Game 2 to match the Avalanche at even strength. But after a strong, physical start on Saturday, the door swung open when referee Kelly Sutherland sent both Hartman and Parker Kelly to the penalty box for a four-on-four situation.
It took just 17 seconds for Kaprizov to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead. Michael McCarron won a defensive-zone faceoff and skated straight to the bench for a Boldy line change. Faber rushed up the ice, crossed the blue line, and passed to Kaprizov, who drove straight to the net for his fourth goal of the playoffs.
“I hated the four-on-four goal, the details of that,” said Colorado coach Jared Bednar. “The seas parted, and they get right down the middle.”
