DENVER — In a stunning turn of events that adds yet another painful chapter to Minnesota sports lore, the Colorado Avalanche staged a furious late-game comeback to eliminate the Wild 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday night, clinching the Western Conference semifinal series 4-1.

For much of the game, it looked like the Wild were finally going to break their road curse. Minnesota stormed out of the gates, scoring three goals in the first period — two from Nick Foligno and one from Marcus Johansson just 34 seconds into the game. The early outburst was fueled by a savvy lineup change from coach John Hynes, who moved Michael McCarron to center on the second line between a struggling Matt Boldy and Johansson. The move paid off immediately, with Boldy setting up Johansson for the quick opener.

Foligno doubled the lead on a perfect feed from Nico Sturm, and after a would-be McCarron goal was disallowed on video review for being batted in by hand, Sturm set up Foligno again to make it 3-0. It was Foligno's second multi-goal playoff game of his career, and the Wild's three goals on 13 first-period shots were enough to chase Colorado starter Scott Wedgewood from the net.

But the Avalanche, known for their resilience, began chipping away. Midway through the second period, Brent Burns' shot from the blue line was deflected by Parker Kelly past Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt. The goal energized Colorado, who controlled play for much of the remainder of the period. But Minnesota held strong, killing off a penalty and carrying a 3-1 lead into the third period.

The Wild seemed poised to force a Game 6 back in Minnesota. But with just 3:33 left in regulation, another blue-line shot — this time tipped by Jack Drury — beat Wallstedt, cutting the lead to one. Then, with the net empty and 63 seconds remaining, Nathan MacKinnon found a tiny gap over Wallstedt's right shoulder to tie the game at 3-3.

In overtime, Brett Kulak completed the comeback, sending the Avalanche into the conference finals and ending the Wild's season. Wallstedt made 30 saves in the loss, dropping his postseason record to 5-5.

The Wild were again without defenseman Zach Bogosian, who missed his second game of the series with a lower-body injury. Jeff Petry filled in on the blue line, but Minnesota couldn't find a way to win on the road in the series.

For fans of the Wild — and Minnesota sports in general — the late collapse is a familiar, painful script. But for a team that showed flashes of brilliance and grit throughout the series, there's plenty to build on heading into next season.