Game 3 was the Colorado Avalanche's worst game of the playoffs so far. Too many mistakes on the defensive end of the puck, too many turnovers in the offensive zone, and it was one not to forget but to build off of. It all starts with a goaltending change with MacKenzie Blackwood coming in for Scott Wedgewood.
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They also get thrown a curveball as Sam Malinski and Arturri Lehkonen are last-minute scratches. Though Josh Manson does return to the lineup, Jack Achan makes his playoff debut. All in all, the changes, video, and practice worked, as the Avalanche secured a 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild to go up 3-1 in the series, playing arguably their best game of the series.
Period 1:
The attitudes start early as Ross Colton and Danila Yurov get into a little scrum after the whistle, and both are called for roughing minors, resulting in two minutes of 4-on-4. Zach Bogosian is hit hard into the boards, skates off in a bit of pain, and heads down the tunnel, but quickly returns to the bench after evaluation.
Michael McCarron checks Josh Manson hard across the boards, and Manson brings him down with him, then both scuffle on the ground before Manson seems to buttend him in the head with his knob right in the ear.
After a lengthy review by the referees, they assessed it as a four-minute double minor, which caused some confusion about why it wasn't a five-minute penalty. Per the official rule book from the NHL;
It's a four-minute penalty if: "Double-minor Penalty – A double-minor penalty will be imposed on a player who attempts to butt-end an opponent."
The Avalanche manage to almost kill it off, but Yurov tips Brock Faber's shot and it redirects past MacKenzie Blackwood and in to make it 1-0. Despite the power play goal, the Avalanche held the Wild to just four shots on goal, two on 5-on-5 and the other two from the power play.
Period 2:
The Avalanche continue their strong start into the second period, which sees them get a power play as Bogosian is called for interference, but fail to convert on the man advantage. Wallstedt continues to be the best player for the Wild, stopping everything the Avalanche sends his way, including some close shots from Valeri Nuchushkin.
The Avalanche gets another power play when Yakov Trenin is called for closing his hand over the puck. This time, they convert, and it doesn't take long as Martin Necas finds Nazem Kadri’s initial shot and feeds him again to tie the game up 1-1.
Coming to a close of the second period, Parker Kelly is called for cross-checking, but the Avalanche does a good job killing the penalty. A scary moment with less than two minutes to go as Nathan MacKinnon gets hit in the face with the puck and blood spews everywhere. The culprit seems to be Devon Toews as he shot it out of the blue paint.
Period 3:
As the third period starts, MacKinnon is on the bench, all patched up and ready to go. Manson makes a bad turnover behind the net that leads to the Wild getting a flurry of shots on net, but Jack Achan, making his playoff debut, makes some massive blocks to stop Matt Boldy's best opportunity of the night.
Nic Roy does a great job corralling a loose puck rebound and finds Ross Colton on the doorstep with a beautiful pass to help the Avalanche take a 2-1 lead. That's Colton's last goal since March 24th against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a hefty goalless drought broken.
Not too long after, Quinn Hughes does a good job fending off Roy to feed Nico Sturm to tie the game back up, 2-2.
Two minutes later, it's Parker Kelly, who, from a feed from Jack Drury, helps the Avalanche retake the lead with a wrist shot that beats Wallstedt and over his glove. Key play from Drury, who forechecks hard to stop the puck from being cleared and lets the play set up.
Wallstedt is pulled at the 1:40 mark, and both Nathan MacKinnon and Brock Nelson score on the empty net to make it 5-2 and help secure the win to move the Avalanche to a 3-1 lead over the Wild.
Next Game
The Avalanche can look to close out the series on Wednesday, May 13, when they return home to Ball Arena.
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