Avalanche must continue this trend against Minnesota Wild

As the Colorado Avalanche get their second-round series against the Minnesota Wild started, legitimate questions emerge about what the Avs must do to move on to the Western Conference Final in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The good news is that those questions have a clear answer. The evidence lies in the way the Avalanche held the LA Kings in check in the first round.

Colorado dominated the game 5v5, focusing on being the better team at full strength. The number shows the Avalanche averaged 27.8 chances per game at even strengths, with the Kings trailing at 19.5

Across the board, the Avalanche had many more scoring opportunities than the Kings did. That dynamic changed on special teams. The Kings got the bulk of their goals on the power play, with the Avs failing to score a power play goal until the fourth game.

That’s a trend the Avalanche must continue against the Wild. The Avalanche have to win the 5v5 battle. Through the first 20 minutes of Game 1, the Wild and Avalanche scored five goals. For Colorado, two came at even strength and one on the power play.

That one power play goal will be crucial in building consistency and confidence moving forward.

However, the two goals Minnesota scored are something Colorado will likely have to shore up moving forward.

It’s worth pointing out that the Avalanche have been the best defensive team in the NHL. While they’re hardly perfect, there’s always an opportunity to go back and tighten things up. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Wild get their two goals, and that would be pretty much it for the rest of the series.

Series could come down to special teams for Avalanche

Considering how both the Avalanche and Wild are solid at full strength, the series may come down to special teams. Artturi Lehkonen’s first-period power play goal is proof that the Avalanche can move the puck well enough to exploit the Wild’s penalty kill.

That said, the Avalanche will also need to ensure they stay out of the penalty box. You would have to think that limiting the number of power play opportunities for the Wild would boost Colorado’s chance of staying ahead in the score.

But there’s always the issue of physicality. Teams like the Wild look to disrupt the flow of clubs like Colorado. The Wild know they can’t outgun and outcompete the Avalanche on speed and skill.

So, it looks like it will be more of the same. Minnesota will look to bog down the series. But that’s precisely where the Avalanche can’t take care of the Wild like they did with the Kings. As we saw in the first couple of goals, it’s the transition game where Colorado can take anyone out.

The Avalanche have three solid puck-moving blueliners and plenty of playmaking forwards. While Colorado stands to face a tougher opponent in the Wild, Colorado should prove to be too much for Minnesota to handle.

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