Depth scoring played a key part in a 5-2 win for the Colorado Avalanche over the Minnesota Wild on Monday night to put them on the cusp of the Western Conference Final. A good get-right performance has given the Avalanche the opportunity to move on in five games.

Even with depth help, the Avs still had help from the likes of game-high point-scorer Martin Necas with two assists. Nazem Kadri, Brock Nelson, and a bloodied Nathan MacKinnon – thanks to an errant clearance from Devon Toews – helped close up shop on the Wild.

View From the Mountaintop

If folks just look at the box score and didn’t watch the game, it might be perceived as a dominant game by Colorado. However, it was far from that on the ice. Minnesota jumped out to the lead once again, despite not having a ton of opportunities. Where the Avalanche did dominate was in puck possession to create the chances, which were hard to convert on. The Wild kept getting in the way, blocking shots, and Jesper Wallstedt made some huge saves, particularly in the second period. A four-goal third period wound up being the difference to put Colorado on the cusp.

Another big difference was the depth the Avs were able to get. Ross Colton and Parker Kelly scored some huge goals in the third period. Kelly’s goal ended up being the game-winner, his first career playoff goal. They stepped up in a big way with some key guys out. Both Artturi Lehkonen and Sam Malinski were out with upper-body injuries, despite being at morning skate. Josh Manson and Joel Kiviranta both returned from injury and were good. Manson did get away with a butt-end stick to the face of Michael McCarron, but he recovered from there. Monday night also saw the playoff debut of Jack Ahcan, who made some key blocks and shut down the Wild en route to the win.


Finally, the choice Jared Bednar made to start Mackenzie Blackwood over Scott Wedgewood was a big one. He seemed to have played the right cards, however. Blackwood did enough with 19 saves and was collected when there were a few scrums of chances in front of him. He did well to shut down the flurry of chances Minnesota did get throughout the night. His best saves of the night came against former Av Nico Sturm in the third period alone in front. It reinforced the thinking of how the Avs’ rotation can handle the situations dealt to them. How they’ll be utilized going forward, however, will still be intriguing to watch.

Up Next

The series shifts back to Colorado with Game Five on Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. MT on the cusp of the Western Conference Final. With the win, the Avalanche have a golden opportunity to do what they could not do in 2022 against the St. Louis Blues: close out the second-round series on home ice.