ST. PAUL, Minn. \u2013 It\u2019s a series now.<\/p>\n
The Minnesota Wild came out and were clearly the better team in Game 3, taking it to the Colorado Avalanche from the drop of the puck on their way to a 5-1 victory at Grand Casino Arena. Minnesota got out to a 3-0 lead less than 25 minutes into the game and never looked back, with Jesper Wallstedt stopping 34 of the 35 shots the Avalanche sent his way.<\/p>\n
Nathan MacKinnon was the lone goal scorer for Colorado, which should not have been a surprise to anyone who watched the game. The Avalanche struggled to get any offense when he was not on the ice, which led to Jared Bednar switching up his lines multiple times throughout the night.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we were doing wasn\u2019t working,\u201d Bednar said of the changes. \u201cI felt like tonight, if the MacKinnon line wasn\u2019t on the ice, we weren\u2019t getting anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
And those changes ultimately didn\u2019t alter the course of this game. At 5-on-5, the numbers don\u2019t look bad for the Avalanche, but special teams have really mattered in this series. They certainly mattered in Game 3.<\/p>\n
Colorado got the first power play, one they failed to score on when there was still no score in the first period, and moments later, the two teams found themselves playing 4-on-4 hockey. A breakdown defensively by the Avalanche saw Kirill Kaprizov all alone coming down the slot, and he beat Scott Wedgewood to give the Wild the early lead.<\/p>\n
With both teams still down a man, Devon Toews was sent to the box, allowing Quinn Hughes to score on the Wild\u2019s first power play. The same script was followed again as the game continued, as the Avalanche couldn\u2019t score on their next man advantage opportunity while the Wild could, making it 3-0. <\/p>\n
As poor as the special teams were, the Avalanche just weren\u2019t good enough all night long.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t play good enough to win a hockey game tonight against a desperate team,\u201d Bednar said. \u201cLooked to me like they had more determination. They were more tenacious, more physical and we tried to respond but we didn\u2019t get a lot out of some of our lines tonight. We need to do more to win that hockey game against the team that their backs were against the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n
Minnesota made another goaltending swap, putting Wallstedt back in net after giving him a night off. He responded in a big way, but the Avalanche didn\u2019t think they made it difficult enough for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t get a lot of guys to the net tonight overall,\u201d Cale Makar said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to happen. But even though we generated a lot of opportunities, the secondary opportunities weren\u2019t quite there for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the Wild made their second goaltending switch this series, the Avalanche made their first. Scott Wedgewood was pulled after giving up three goals on 12 shots, so Bednar turned to Mackenzie Blackwood for the first time this postseason.<\/p>\n
Part of the pull had to do with Wedgewood\u2019s play, but a large part also had to do with how flat the group in front of him was playing.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom what I\u2019ve seen out of Blackwood here recently, a rested guy and a guy that we trust, I felt like it was a good opportunity for us to get him in and see if it sparked our group and if he could maybe close our door the rest of the way. That\u2019s why I did it,\u201d Bednar said. \u201cJust felt like they had all the momentum and all the speed early in that game, and we needed to do something. We needed to do something to get our guys fired up and going. I was hoping that would be part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That spark never came as the Avalanche will now have to respond to a loss for the first time this postseason. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf your confidence is wavering after one loss in the playoffs, then your focus isn\u2019t in the right place,\u201d Bednar said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s going to be a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wild 5, Avalanche 1<\/p>\n
What happened: Minnesota punched the Avalanche in the mouth; now Colorado has to respond.<\/p>\n
What went right: The top line of MacKinnon, Landeskog and Martin Necas was the only group generating any offense for the Avalanche, as they combined for 14 shots on goal.<\/p>\n
What went wrong: Colorado has to start getting more out of their second line, which mostly consists of Brock Nelson and Valeri Nichushkin. Nelson failed to register a shot attempt at 5-on-5, while Nichushkin had just one shot on goal while at even strength. Artturi Lehkonen, who moved to that line in the second period, didn\u2019t register a 5-on-5 shot either.<\/p>\n
Avalanche goal scorers: MacKinnon (5)<\/p>\n
Wild goal scorers: Kaprizov (4), Hughes (4), Hartman (3), Faber (4), Boldy (7)<\/p>\n
Between the pipes: Wedgewood finished with nine saves, while Blackwood stopped 12 of the 13 he faced.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s next: Game 4 will be Monday night at 6 p.m.<\/p>\n
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