The Colorado Avalanche are heading to St. Paul on Saturday with one goal in mind: take full command of their second-round playoff series against the Minnesota Wild. After a dominant start to the postseason, the Avs are riding a six-game winning streak, outscoring opponents 30-11 along the way. They've already taken the first two games of this series in Denver—winning 9-6 and 5-2—and now they're looking to put the Wild in a nearly insurmountable 3-0 hole.
Nathan MacKinnon has been the engine driving Colorado's offense, racking up 10 points in just six playoff games. Cale Makar is also making his presence felt from the blue line with four postseason goals, as the Avalanche's speed and transition game have simply overwhelmed Minnesota so far.
The Wild, meanwhile, are heading home with their backs against the wall. Historically, teams rarely recover from a 3-0 series deficit in the NHL playoffs. Minnesota's biggest struggles have come on special teams and in their own defensive zone. Their penalty kill has been exposed by Colorado's power play, and goaltending has been inconsistent—leading to another lineup change for Game 3. Rookie Jesper Wallstedt is expected to get the start after Filip Gustavsson was in net for Game 2.
Despite the early series deficit, the Wild still have elite offensive firepower. Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Quinn Hughes can change the game in a hurry. But to do that, Minnesota will need a much tighter defensive effort after allowing 14 goals in the first two games.
One of the biggest storylines heading into Game 3: can the Wild finally slow down Colorado's transition attack on home ice? The Avalanche have been getting production from nearly every line—11 different skaters have already recorded points in this series. Meanwhile, Scott Wedgewood has been steady in goal during Colorado's unbeaten playoff run.
The home crowd in St. Paul should give Minnesota a major energy boost on Saturday night. But right now, the Avalanche look like one of the most complete teams in the NHL—and they're just one win away from putting this series almost entirely out of reach.