The Colorado Avalanche are proving to be an unstoppable force this postseason, and the Minnesota Wild are feeling the full brunt of their offensive firepower. For the second straight game, the Avs erupted early, cruising to a 5-2 victory on Tuesday night and taking a commanding 2-0 lead in their second-round series. With this win, Colorado remains perfect in the playoffs at 6-0.
Even a goalie swap couldn't slow down the Avalanche. After starter Marc-André Fleury struggled in Game 1, the Wild turned to Filip Gustavsson. But the result was the same: Colorado poured in three goals in the first 21:24 of play, chasing Gustavsson after he allowed three scores on just eight shots. Martin Necas, Gabe Landeskog, and Nic Roy did the early damage, with Nathan MacKinnon adding another later. Valeri Nichushkin sealed the win with an empty-netter.
While the offense stole the headlines, goaltender Scott Wedgewood bounced back in a big way. After surrendering six goals in Game 1, he was rock solid in Game 2, making 29 saves and allowing just one goal over the final 57 minutes. "I thought there wasn’t a guy on our roster that wasn’t better tonight than the other night," head coach Jared Bednar said. "And he certainly was. We started from the goaltender out."
The scoring depth has been nothing short of historic. The Avalanche have now seen 12 different players find the back of the net through the first two games of the series—an NHL record. They’ve lit the lamp 14 times against the Wild, a stunning number considering Minnesota allowed just 15 goals in the entire six-game opening round against the Dallas Stars. Only Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon have scored more than once for Colorado, each with two goals.
MacKinnon was especially dominant, finishing with a goal and two assists for a three-point night. Necas and Landeskog also chipped in with a goal and an assist each, while defenseman Brett Kulak added two helpers.
"The whole 23-man roster that we carry is deep," Wedgewood said. "Parker Kelly is playing the second line near the end of the year. Ross Colton comes in and out. You’ve got [Joel] Kiviranta not playing, which is kind of crazy if you really think about it."
As the series shifts to Minnesota for Game 3, the Wild will need to find answers quickly. But if the first two games are any indication, the Avalanche are playing at a level that’s tough to match—and even tougher to stop.