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Avalanche clamp down on Game 2, put chokehold on series against Wild

The Colorado Avalanche put the clamps down on Game 2, escaping with a huge victory and a chokehold on the series against the Minnesota Wild.
ByNestor Quixtan|
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May 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson (32) defends on Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) during the second period in game two of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
May 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson (32) defends on Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) during the second period in game two of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Colorado Avalanche showed up on Tuesday night at Ball Arena looking to turn the page on the outlandish result in Game 1.

While the Avalanche managed to escape the run-and-gun affair, the situation warranted a more measured approach in Game 2. And that’s exactly what materialized.

Colorado pulled out a 5-2 victory to put a chokehold on their second-round series against the Minnesota Wild. Nathan MacKinnon led the way with three points on the night, including a beautiful power play goal in the third period. The effort earned him the game’s first star.

Meanwhile, captain Gabe Landeskog, who also earned a Masterton Trophy nomination, got a power play goal of his own and an assist. The effort landed him the game’s third star.

But the real star of the night was goaltender Scott Wedgewood. There were questions about Wedgewood being able to bounce back after allowing six goals in Game 1. Coach Jared Bednar did not have any reservations about bringing him back.

And boy was Bednar right. Wedgewood made 29 saves on the night, with this larceny on Kirill Kaprizov the best example.

Martin Necas opened the scoring in the first period with his first goal of the postseason. It was a long time coming, and a welcome sight.

Nic Roy made the game 3-1 early in the second period. Lastly, big Valeri Nichushkin sealed the victory with an empty-netter with about five seconds to go in the game.

The victory allows the Avalanche to keep pace with the Carolina Hurricanes as the only undefeated teams in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. With the way the Avs played on Tuesday night, there’s increasing confidence they will remain undefeated.

The series will now shift to Minnesota for Game 3. There will be a few days in between Game 2 and 3, with the Avs facing the Wild on Saturday night at the Xcel Energy Center. A win would put the Avalanche up 3-0 with a chance to wrap up the series next Monday night.

Should the Wild win one or both games at home, the series would return to Colorado for Game 5 on May 13.

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