Avalanche change lines, goalies, then tame Wild for 3-1 lead

• Ryan S. ClarkMay 11, 2026, 11:23 PM ET

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  Ryan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — By changing their lines, pairings and starting goaltender, the Colorado Avalanche have changed the dynamics of their second-round series against the Minnesota Wild.

The Avalanche, with goals from five different players, secured a 5-2 win in Game 4 on Monday night that gave them a 3-1 lead in the series and put them on the brink of their first Western Conference finals appearance since 2022.

“I think just being ready to go,” said Avalanche winger Parker Kelly, who scored the go-ahead goal. “I think you never know when your opportunities are going to come. … Everyone’s just been trying to do the right thing, and you just got to be ready. It’s one shot. It’s one play you got to bear down on. It’s probably going to come your way, and all these guys in here are ready.”

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Minnesota’s commanding 5-1 win in Saturday’s Game 3 was Colorado’s first loss this postseason. It led Avalanche coach Jared Bednar to change his goaltenders in the second period with the belief that more adjustments could be made ahead of Game 4.

Bednar, who guided the Avs to their Stanley Cup win in 2022, opted to go with Mackenzie Blackwood in net over Scott Wedgewood on Monday night. Blackwood stopped 12 of the 13 shots he faced in Game 3 in relief of Wedgewood, who allowed three goals on 12 shots.

Bednar’s next alteration was to his forward lines and defense pairings. It began with defenseman Sam Malinski and winger Artturi Lehkonen being ruled out less than 30 minutes before puck drop. Bednar did not have an update on their statuses after the game. Their absences, along with trying to find the necessary combinations after a playoff defeat, led to more alterations.

The Avalanche opened the first period with an 86.3% shot share in 5-on-5 play and had a plus-16 chance differential, a plus-nine scoring chance differential, a plus-five high-danger scoring chance differential while allowing only four shots.

Yet, it was the Wild who took a 1-0 lead when Josh Manson, who returned to the lineup after being out since the first round because of an upper-body injury, received a four-minute double minor for butt-ending Wild forward Michael McCarron in the face.

Colorado’s penalty kill held its shape and limited chances, but Minnesota found a shooting lane with 1:21 left in the period when Brock Faber launched a shot from the point that was deflected by Danila Yurov at the net with 10:14 left in the first.

The Avalanche remained aggressive and even had a 17-4 edge in shots at one point early in the second period. But that’s when the Wild made their own adjustments that forced the Avs to defend in their zone while being frustrated by Minnesota goalie Jesper Wallstedt on the other end.

Nazem Kadri gave his team the breakthrough it needed on a power-play goal that initially saw Wallstedt stop the first shot only for Kadri to recover the rebound and tie the score just six seconds into the extra-skater advantage.

Minnesota kept pressing even after allowing the tying goal, but Blackwood, who had 19 saves, continued the consistency he showed in Game 3.

Although the Avs controlled possession for much of the game, the Wild still kept Blackwood busy with the threat of seam passes and backdoor plays that were designed to cut through the defensive zone.

Blackwood said those passes are becoming more common in the NHL when teams try to force goalies to be active by putting pucks across the midline. The 29-year-old stressed how crucial it was for him to keep that in focus in a game in which his team held on to the puck.

“Ten years ago, I would struggle a lot more in that situation,” Blackwood said. “Obviously, it’s never easy. But you just kind of figure out how to keep yourself engaged and kind of not lose the mental focus to stay in the game.”

Blackwood’s focus was instrumental in the Avs staying level before Ross Colton scored on a tap-in that just beat a sliding Wallstedt with 13:04 remaining in the third period.

Less than three minutes later, Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes played one of those seam passes to Nico Sturm, who found the back of the net to tie the score 2-2 with 10:45 remaining.

But that’s when Kelly, the bottom-six forward who went from 17 combined goals in the past three seasons to 21 this season, found space in the Wild zone and blasted a shot from the point for a 3-2 lead with 8:28 left in the third.

“We knew there was going to be a push [by the Wild] at some point, but even through that, I liked their attention to detail,” Bednar said of his team’s performance. “The biggest change from the last game and this game is we were a more determined group. That’s to a man. Just more determined and committed to playing the right way.”

Minnesota sought to make another push, but Nathan MacKinnon, who got a bloody nose from taking a puck in the face in the second period, and Brock Nelson scored a pair of empty-net goals in the final minute to seal the victory.

Those empty-netters not only sealed the win for the Avalanche but marked the fifth time in their past six postseason games that they’ve finished with more than four goals.

Armed with a 3-1 series lead, they’ll head back to Denver for Wednesday’s Game 5 looking to close out the series as the most prolific scoring team in the Stanley Cup playoffs; the Avs are averaging 4.13 goals after leading the league with 3.63 goals per game in the regular season.

The Wild are second in goals per game with 3.80.

“I didn’t hate our details last game. There were some things I didn’t love,” Bednar said, “but I thought we got outcompeted in that game a little bit. Tonight, we kind of swung it back in our favor, and guys went to work and were relentless all over the rink. We just looked quicker.”