The Avalanche clawed back from 0-3 down and beat the Wild 4-3 after overtime at Ball Arena. Brett Kulak scored the winner, sending 18,159 home fans into celebration and closing the series at 4-1.

Fast start by Minnesota, louder finish by Colorado

Minnesota jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first period. Marcus Johansson opened the scoring and Nick Foligno added two more, with help from Matt Boldy, Quinn Hughes and Nico Sturm.
Colorado steadied, then went to work.

Parker Kelly pulled one back in the second, assisted by Kulak and Brent Burns. The third period belonged to the hosts: Jack Drury made it 2-3, then Nathan MacKinnon rifled in the equalizer from Burns and Martin Necas.

Kulak, Kelly and Necas drive the turnaround

Kulak finished with 1 goal and 1 assist, including the overtime decider from Kelly and Necas. Kelly also posted 1 goal, 1 assist and a team-high 6 hits, setting the tone on the forecheck.
Necas supplied two primary helpers in key moments, while Burns quietly stacked two assists and nine shot attempts.

Drury delivered a clutch third-period goal and went 58% on faceoffs. MacKinnon led all shooters with 9 shots and won 59% of his draws. Minnesota’s standouts were Foligno with a brace, plus two-assist nights for Boldy and Sturm.

Goaltending switch flips the script

Colorado turned to Scott Wedgewood after the first intermission and he was spotless, stopping all 7 shots faced the rest of the way. Starter Mackenzie Blackwood made 10 saves in the opening period.
For Minnesota, Jesper Wallstedt kept them in it with 30 saves on 34 shots.

The Wild’s shot volume dried up over the final 40 minutes and overtime. Colorado outshot them 22-7 from the second period onward and found the OT winner with pressure and puck retrieval.

Numbers that tell the story

Colorado led shots on goal 34-20 and dominated at even strength with a 68.0% Corsi and 68.1% Fenwick. Their average shot distance was shorter too at 10.4 feet vs 11.4 for Minnesota.
The Wild blocked 23 shots to Colorado’s 11 and edged faceoffs 52%, but the Avalanche controlled territory and created the better looks.

Both power plays went 0/1. Hits were nearly even at 32-31. Three stars: 1) Brett Kulak, 2) Martin Necas, 3) Nick Foligno.

A night to save on Sofascore

Avalanche fans will remember this one for the rally and the overtime finish. Minnesota will look back at the missed chance to close it out in regulation.
For live NHL Playoffs scores, shot maps and advanced stats, Sofascore has you covered.