Wild most to blame for crushing 2nd round Avalanche loss

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The Minnesota Wild needed their best effort of the season to avoid elimination against the Colorado Avalanche. Minnesota knew it would need to put its best foot forward with a lot going against it. Despite their best efforts, though, they collapsed in the third period and are headed home after an overtime loss.

Veteran Nick Foligno rose to the occasion in this contest. He scored two of Minnesota’s three first-period goals to help give the Wild a 3-1 lead in the third period. Jesper Wallstedt was having an incredible game, as well. In the end, though, it all fell apart.

Jack Drury scored on a deflection to give the Avalanche life in the final frame. Nathan MacKinnon followed that up with the game-tying goal with less than two minutes remaining to force overtime. In overtime, Brett Kulak scored one of the most unlikely game-winning goals in recent memory to eliminate the Wild.

The Wild had Game 5 in their hands. They had the chance to force a Game 6 back in Minnesota and a ton of momentum. They did not need to lose this game. And yet, they did. Minnesota exercised playoff demons by advancing past the first round. However, there are still some demons lingering around.

How they will move on from this remains to be seen. This summer promises to be a very intriguing one for Minnesota. For now, let’s take a look at the main culprits of this series loss for the Wild.

Jesper Wallstedt needed to be better vs. Avalanche Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Jesper Wallstedt played at an elite level during the 2025-26 regular season. The Wild netminder did have his hiccups, but his first full season in the NHL was largely a success. He finished the regular season with a .916 save percentage and four shutouts. He also had a great start in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, keeping a very talented Dallas Stars team quiet.

However, once Minnesota advanced, it all fell apart. Wallstedt allowed eight goals in Game 1 and 16 goals across the four games he played in this series. The Wild won one of those games, and it was his best performance. However, he finished with a save percentage below .900 in half the games he played against Colorado. He finished the series overall with an .888 save percentage.

Wallstedt is a young goalie, and his future in the NHL remains bright. In saying this, he did his team no favors in this series. Minnesota needed him to consistently make saves, and he wasn’t able to do it. That is one reason why the Wild are headed home, and the Avalanche are moving on.

Wild’s Matt Boldy went cold in 2nd round

Matt Boldy had an incredible first round against the Dallas Stars. And in Game 5 on Wednesday, he put in an incredible effort in the first period. However, in the totality of this series, Boldy went cold in a big way.

The Wild star scored six goals in the opening round against Dallas. He had multi-goal games in Games 1 and 6 to help eliminate the Stars. Against Colorado, though, he managed just a single goal. He did have two assists in Game 5, but it wasn’t enough.

Minnesota needed more from Boldy in this series. It was clear the Wild had to score goals if they wanted to outlast Colorado. The Avalanche certainly didn’t slow down, as they scored four or more goals in all but one game.

Boldy is another player with a bright future in the NHL. However, he did not bring his A-Game to this second-round series. And that is a big factor in Minnesota’s elimination from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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