3 Takeaways From the Wild’s 5-1 Win Over the Avalanche in Game 3

The Minnesota Wild hosted the Colorado Avalanche for Game 3 of Round 2 on Saturday evening, May 9. Wild fans had a chance to come down early and enjoy a pre-game party out in front of the arena that eventually turned into a watch party once the game started. Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin were still out, but Zach Bogosian did come back in, which meant Jeff Petry came out. 

Jesper Wallstedt was back in the net after Filip Gustavsson played in Game 2, and the game started out in favor of the Wild, who scored goals just over a minute and a half apart to take a quick 2-0 lead that they held for the rest of the period. In the second, the Wild built their lead to 3-0 before the Avalanche got on the board, but the Wild answered right back, and the period ended 4-1. They continued to protect their lead and added one more goal to make it 5-1 and took the win. In this article, we’ll look at a few takeaways, starting with the power play. 

Wild’s Power Play Thrives 

The Wild’s power play or lack thereof had been a major storyline of their first-round series against the Dallas Stars and hadn’t gone away in the second round against the Avalanche, at least until Game 3. The Wild got on the board first with a goal by their star, Kirill Kaprizov, while playing 4-on-4, and then they scored their first power play goal just over a minute and a half later by their superstar, Quinn Hughes, which made it 2-0. 

They weren’t done yet, either, as Ryan Hartman scored early in the second on the power play to make it 3-0, and that goal was enough to chase Scott Wedgewood out of the Avalanche goal, and Mackenzie Blackwood came in. The Wild’s power play was quiet for the rest of the evening, but those two goals made a big difference in the outcome of this game. 

“I mean, we had our chances throughout the last couple games. I mean, I blocked a wide-open net from Boldy from the middle in Game 2. There were opportunities, Kirill, on the backside. Yeah, I mean, worked on some things, saw some stuff, and used it to our advantage,” Ryan Hartman said to the media in his postgame interview when asked about the power play. 

Wild Stay Consistent

The Wild jumped out to an early lead, and during the regular season, they struggled to maintain that consistent play to hold their lead. Against the Avalanche in Game 3, they found that consistency and continued to push despite having a three-goal lead at one point when many teams would start to lay back. The Wild knew they couldn’t do that with a team like the Avalanche, so they continued to push. 

That attitude allowed them to respond right back when the Avalanche did find a way onto the scoresheet as Brock Faber scored just 20 seconds later and regained the three-goal lead. The Wild continued to push and didn’t let up as they added one more goal, an empty-netter in the final minute, to finish the full game effort. 

“I mean, they’re a dangerous group offensively. The best defense is holding onto the puck in the offensive zone and trying to extend the lead. I think there’s some learning moments throughout the season where maybe we would sit back and let up some late goals. And throughout the year, you just learn those things. And yeah, we put the pressure on there in the third,” said Hartman to the media in his postgame interview when asked about how the team kept the pressure on in the third.

Wild Needed Physicality & Wallstedt Shines  

The Wild turned up the physicality in Game 3, and it worked in their favor as they forced their way past the Avalanche. Originally going into this series, I’ll admit, I thought the Wild would be better off focusing on skating and not hitting, but they showed they can be a very strong team when they upped the physicality and showed that’s what they need to help them get wins against this Avalanche team. 

While the physical side stepped up, so did Jesper Wallstedt, who was back in the net after a rough Game 1 that saw eight goals allowed plus an empty netter. He was solid all game and gave the Wild every chance to win, including some big saves on the Wild’s penalty kill that had seen its fair share of struggles. 

“Well, it’s always nice to play with a lead. For me, my focus is always just the next shot. I, me, and Freddy (Chabot) and Gus always say it’s always a 0-0 game; it doesn’t matter what it is. It’s every period, every shot, every save you make out there, it’s always 0-0, so you just keep playing like you always do, you don’t change either if you’re up or down,” said Jesper Wallstedt to the media in his postgame interview when asked about playing with a lead. 

The Wild proved that they could play with the Avalanche since Game 1, but the wins eluded them until Game 3, when the team took a huge step forward and showed what they could truly play like. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of success for the Wild as they’ll have little time to digest it before they face the Avalanche at home again for Game 4 on Monday night, May 11.