Minnesota Wild Claim Important Win Over Colorado Avalanche In Game 3
After losing the first two games of Round 2, the Minnesota Wild won Game 3 with a 5-1 score. That win snapped the Avalanche’s 6-game winning streak, leaving only the Carolina Hurricanes (who eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers in 4 games on May 9 in overtime) unbeaten in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
That marks history for the Hurricanes, who are the first team in playoff history to sweep the first two rounds since the format changed to best-of-7 in 1987. Carolina will have quite a bit of rest before the next round, as they will face either the Montreal Canadiens or the Buffalo Sabres in Round 3. That series is on Game 3 and tied at 1-1.
Wild Dominate Game 3, Flipping the Script
Games 1 and 2 went to the Hurricanes by 3 goals per game, with Game 1 ending 9-6 and Game 2 ending 5-2. The Wild didn’t give up against their high-seeded opponents, though, and it paid off in a huge way at home.
Defensemen were the key for Minnesota, as Brock Faber had 3 points (1 goal and 2 assists), and Quinn Hughes had 2 points (1 goal and 1 assist). Matt Boldy got a goal as well to bolster the defensive performance on goal. The other goal was scored by Ryan Hartman, a right wing. Kirill Kaprizov, a left wing, came through hugely with a goal and 2 assists, like Faber.
A key factor for the Wild was the return of Jesper Wallstedt to the goal; the rookie rested for Game 2, and Filip Gustavsson took his place, giving up 4 goals on 22 shots. Wallstedt faced a strong offensive effort and saved 35 shots, with Avalanche Goalie Scott Wedgewood having to be replaced after allowing 3 goals on 12 shots. Replacement Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood saved 12 of 13 shots.
Nathan MacKinnon of the Avalanche, back to his scoring ways, managed to score on a power play in the second period, but Faber scored to make the score 4-1 while that goal was still being announced, just 20 seconds later. Adding insult to injury for the Avalanche, Boldy scored on an empty net with just 4 seconds left to play in the game.
Game 3 Reactions
The Wild were understandably thrilled with their win, especially over a team that hadn’t previously shown much weakness.
“I thought Kirill was extremely competitive tonight and was on his game. It was good to see,” Wild Head Coach John Hynes said. “When he does that, you can see the type of impact he has on the game. I think he was indicative of the team that we knew we had to be better in certain areas, but as I said to you guys over the last couple of days, there are lots of things we did like in the first couple of games we just didn’t get rewarded for it, and tonight we were able to do that.
“Hard-fought game, both teams were extremely competitive, but it’s more indicative of that’s the style of game that gives us the best chance to win.”
The Avalanche’s loss highlighted how a weakness in the goal from Wedgewood, who has previously played excellently, can impact their chances of winning. Beyond that, the Avalanche struggled to find the net and get past the strong Wallstedt, and simply weren’t on their game.
“We were just sitting back. We were giving them a lot of space to move around, and in our defensive coverage, we can’t really do that,” Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar said. “So, it turns into long-tenured shifts in the D-zone. It’s going to happen. We have to weather that. We weathered a lot of them, but we need find ways to re-attack after that.”
Game 4 Preview
The Wild need to stay aggressive, as Hynes indicated. Those two power-play goals are huge accomplishments against the Avalanche. Wallstedt is a massive part of the Wild’s success or failure, as is Wedgewood for the Avalanche.
The Avalanche have to return to the way they played in the first two games of the series, particularly Game 2. Their loss in Game 3 will give the Wild confidence going forward, and that can be dangerous if the momentum shifts away from the Avalanche.
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