Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 24: Avalanche overpower Wild, one win away from West Final

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are back, which means that for the next two months, we’ll get non-stop action as we witness 16 teams get whittled down to the one that will be crowned as the 2026 Stanley Cup champions. Here at Daily Faceoff, we’ll be keeping you in the loop on everything that happens in the playoffs, every day until the Stanley Cup is hoisted in June.

The lone game on Monday night saw the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche continue their Central Division Final. While the Wild had some momentum after coming out on top in Game 3, the Presidents’ Trophy winners flexed their muscles with a 5-2 victory, taking a commanding 3-1 series lead.

It was a physical game throughout, with the teams laying the body early and often. Danila Yurov and Ross Colton were both handed matching minors after getting after one another just 48 seconds into the game. The animosity spilled into trouble for Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson, as he received a double minor for butt-ending Wild forward Michael McCarron. Minnesota made the most of the power play, with Yurov scoring his first goal of the postseason to put the home side out in front.

That was seemingly the most offense the Wild had for an extended period of time. The Avalanche dominated the game for most of the first two periods, holding Minnesota to just four shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes, peppering Jesper Wallstedt at every available chance.

Colorado’s attack was rewarded early in period two. Right off the faceoff on a power play, Martin Necas nabbed the puck, feeding Nazem Kadri, who potted his second of the postseason to tie the game at one.

It took a while, but Minnesota finally found its footing late in the second period, posting its first shot on goal in the frame past the 12-minute mark. They started to create some opportunities of their own late in the middle stanza, and carried some of that confidence into the early stages of the third, forcing MacKenzie Blackwood to come up with some big stops.

His team repaid his efforts, as Nicolas Roy took advantage of a broken play to set up Colton for his first of the postseason just before the seven-minute mark, giving the Avs their first lead of the game. However, it didn’t last long. A little over two minutes later, Minnesota defender Quinn Hughes made a slick pass to Nico Sturm, who one-timed home the tying goal.

It looked as if the Wild were going to take the momentum from the marker and regain the lead themselves. However, the experienced Avs returned the favor, pushing back with a couple of their youngsters coming through. A failed zone exit from the Wild resulted in Parker Kelly scoring his first-ever goal in the NHL postseason a little after the halfway mark of the third.

While the Wild pressed for the equalizer in the waning moments of the game, the Avalanche did a stellar job of swallowing up Minnesota’s attack. Colorado closed the game out thanks to an empty-net goals from Nathan MacKinnon, who exited the game briefly after taking a puck to the face late in the second period, and Brock Nelson, improving the team’s record to 7-1 in these playoffs.

Minnesota now faces elimination for the first time in these playoffs. While the team seemed to grab some momentum following its win a couple of nights ago, the mood in the Twin Cities certainly isn’t as bright following Monday’s result. The Avalanche now seeks their first trip to the Western Conference Final for the first time since winning the Cup in 2022.

The most mind-boggling stat of the night was that of Quinn Hughes. The talented blueliner logged an insane 34:13 of ice time, with Brock Faber registering 29:19. No skater had more ice time than the Wild’s top pair.

The Avalanche outshot the Wild 34-21. Blackwood, making his first start of the postseason, made just 19 saves in the win, but had to come up clutch a few times in the early stages of the third period. Jesper Wallstedt was credited with 29 saves in the loss.

Minnesota went 1-for-4 on the power play, while Colorado was 1-for-2.

The series will return to Denver for Game 5 on Wednesday night, with puck drop scheduled for a little after 8 p.m. ET.