Cale Makar shook off an early scare to score twice in the third period, Devon Toews piled up four points, and the Colorado Avalanche outlasted the Minnesota Wild 9-6 in a chaotic Game 1 of the Western Conference second round at Ball Arena on Sunday night. The track-meet opener featured 15 total goals, 14 different goal-scorers, a scary first-period hit that briefly sent Makar to the locker room and momentum swings right up to the final seconds.
Colorado blitzed Minnesota with three goals in just 2:01, as Sam Malinski, Jack Drury and Artturi Lehkonen scored between 11:12 and 13:13 of the first period to make it 3-0. The Wild clawed all the way back and even grabbed a 5-4 lead late in the second, turning what looked like an Avalanche romp into a full-on shootout. Makar exited after a heavy hit from Marcus Foligno, returned in the second period and finished with two goals and an assist, while Nathan MacKinnon added an empty-netter to finally slam the door on a game that never really felt safe.
Avs Offense Sets Playoff Mark
Colorado’s nine-goal outburst set a franchise playoff record, and Toews’ goal plus three assists anchored a night when the score sheet looked like a roll call. Scoring came from all four lines, and, as Sportsnet noted, multiple Avalanche players posted multi-point games in a performance Ball Arena fans will not forget anytime soon.
Wild Kept Fighting
Minnesota refused to fold. Quinn Hughes, Ryan Hartman, Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson, Vladimir Tarasenko and Marcus Foligno all scored, with that depth keeping the Wild within striking distance through two wild periods. Both goaltenders were under siege. The Washington Post notes Jesper Wallstedt finished with 34 saves to Scott Wedgewood’s 30, and the 15-goal total went down as one of the rarest scoring shows in playoff history.
What's Next
Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday night in Denver, with both clubs surely eager to tighten things up defensively without putting a lid on their top scorers. As outlined by NHL.com, the rematch will air on ESPN and regional partners.
The night’s opening salvo included Malinski’s first NHL postseason goal and, later on, Nick Blankenburg’s first playoff marker, a reminder that Colorado’s depth is very real. DailyFaceoff recorded the full list of contributors and the fact that 14 different players scored in a game that will be talked about all week, if not longer, around Denver and Minnesota alike.
