Avalanche eliminate Wild in Game 5

The Colorado Avalanche advanced Wednesday night by doing what they had not done through the first 15:56 of Game 5 — solving Jesper Wallstedt and getting out of their own way. Brett Kulak scored at 3:52 of overtime at Ball Arena, giving Colorado a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Wild and ending the second-round series in five games. (nhl.com) Minnesota led 3-0 in the first period behind two Nick Foligno goals and one from Marcus Johansson. (nhl.com) Colorado answered with Parker Kelly in the second period, Jack Drury with 3:33 left in regulation and Nathan MacKinnon with goalie Scott Wedgewood pulled for an extra attacker at 18:37 of the third. The result sent the Avalanche into the Western Conference final, where they will meet either the Vegas Golden Knights or Anaheim Ducks. Vegas leads that series 3-2 after its own overtime win in Game 5. ### How did Colorado get out of a three-goal hole? (nhl.com) Minnesota scored 34 seconds into the game when Marcus Johansson finished a one-timer from the left circle. Nick Foligno made it 2-0 at 11:03 and 3-0 at 15:56, both off rush chances created by Nico Sturm, as Colorado’s home crowd watched a series-clinching chance tilt sharply the other way. (nhl.com) Colorado changed goaltenders to start the second period, replacing Mackenzie Blackwood after he allowed three goals on 13 shots. Wedgewood stopped all seven shots he faced in relief, and the Avalanche began to claw back when Kelly redirected Brent Burns’ point shot at 11:00 of the second. (nhl.com) The Avalanche then compressed all the pressure into the final minutes. Drury cut the lead to 3-2 at 16:27 of the third, and MacKinnon tied it with a wrist shot from below the left dot with 1:23 remaining in regulation. ### What decided the game in overtime? Kulak ended it 3:52 into overtime on a one-timer from the right dot off a crossing pass from Martin Necas. (nhl.com) The play capped what NHL.com described as a four-goal comeback and completed Colorado’s rally from the three-goal first-period deficit. Necas finished with two assists, and Kelly also had a goal and an assist. Brent Burns added two assists, giving Colorado four different players with multi-point nights in the clincher. (nhl.com) ### Which numbers mattered most? Nathan MacKinnon’s late equalizer was his seventh goal of the playoffs, according to the NHL game summary. (nhl.com) Parker Kelly’s line was smaller on paper but central to the comeback: one goal, one assist and the primary touch on the overtime winner. The shot count told the larger story. Colorado finished with 36 shots on goal to Minnesota’s 26, and Wallstedt made 30 saves in defeat. (nhl.com) Blackwood stopped 10 of 13 before the switch, while Wedgewood turned aside all seven shots he saw. Minnesota also lost a potential first-period fourth goal. Michael McCarron appeared to score at 12:25, but video review overturned the play after officials determined the puck had been played with his hand. (nhl.com) ### What does the series result look like in full? Colorado won the series 4-1 after opening with a 9-6 victory on May 3 and a 5-2 win on May 5 at home. (nhl.com) Minnesota answered with a 5-1 win in Game 3, but Colorado took Game 4 on the road by a 5-2 score before finishing the series Wednesday. The Avalanche entered the matchup as the No. 1 seed from the Central Division and Western Conference, while the Wild were the No. 3 seed from the Central, according to NHL.com’s recap. (nhl.com) ### Who is next for Colorado? Colorado will wait for the winner of the Vegas-Anaheim series, which resumes with Game 6 on May 14. (nhl.com) NHL.com’s playoff coverage lists Vegas ahead 3-2 after Pavel Dorofeyev’s overtime goal in Game 5. The Western Conference final opponent will be set once that series ends. NHL.com’s playoff bracket lists Colorado as one of the two teams already through to a conference final, alongside the Carolina Hurricanes in the East. (statmuse.com) (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) (nhl.com 3)