Avalanche vs. Wild Game 3: Key Takeaways from 5-1 Minnesota win

The Colorado Avalanche’s postseason winning streak came to an end on Saturday night. The Minnesota Wild pulled out a 5-1 Game 3 win at home, cutting the deficit to 2-1 in the second-round series in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Wild got a huge bounce-back performance from Jesper Wallstedt. The rookie netminder made 34 saves, giving Minnesota a chance to even the series on Monday night.

With that in mind, let’s look at the key takeaways from the Wild’s 5-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 of their second-round tilt.

Scott Wedgewood faltered

Genuine concern will emerge regarding Scott Wedgewood’s performance in Game 3. The incredibly reliable Avalanche goalie surrendered three goals on 12 shots. Wedgewood got the hook after Ryan Hartman made it 3-0 in the second. Hartman’s tally was a power play, the second Minnesota scored on the night.

Now, it’s tough to put Hartman’s goal on Wedgewood. The replay showed the Wild forward was alone in front of the net. He had all the time in the world to deflect that puck. As such, it was unreasonable to expect Wedgewood to make the save.

You could argue that he should have made a key save to keep the game close. But the game was 2-0 at that point. The Avalanche hadn’t generated a ton of scoring chances, and, well, Wedgewood was hung out to dry.

The question now becomes what Jared Bednar does for Game 4. MacKenzie Blackwood was solid, despite giving up a lousy goal on another deflection. Perhaps Bednar comes right back with Wedgewood in Game 4.

That might be a risky move, but it’s one the Avalanche coach needs to make. Wedgewood has been great all year. So, it’s hardly a stretch to bet on him having a strong, bounce-back game on Monday night.

Special teams letdown

The power play and penalty kill were a letdown in Game 3 for the Avalanche. While the power play produced the club’s lone goal, it went 1-for-3. All right, that’s not too bad. But when the team is suddenly not scoring 5-on-5, the power play needs to pick up the slack.

That’s what the Wild did instead. They scored two power play goals to open up a 3-0 lead. In particular, Quinn Hughes made the Avs' penalty kill look like a bunch of amateurs on the goal.

Of course, you could argue that Wedgewood didn’t have a stick on the play. But the shot didn’t beat him low. The shot went right between the pad and the blocker. Perhaps the lack of a stick disrupted Wedgewood’s timing just enough to allow the goal.

But then again, shouldn’t the Avalanche's penalty kill have precluded the scoring attempt?

Regardless, the two power play goals pretty much were the difference in the game. Without those two goals, the game could have been 1-1 in the third period. That didn’t happen, and now Colorado is looking at the possibility of the Wild evening the series.

Avalanche needed the second line

A major absence in Game 3 was the second line. The Nelson-Nichushkin-Landeskog line wasn’t able to break through 5-on-5. In particular, Brock Nelson needs to get more going offensively.

Ewan Rawal made an interesting observation regarding Nelson’s overall lack of production at even strength.

Perhaps the time has come for Bednar to mix things up and juggle some lines. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to give Kadri some looks on the second line, while giving Nelson a bit of a breather in that role.

Perhaps the top unit might be in for a mix-up as well. Last season, Nelson had some good chemistry with Martin Necas. So, why not try that out again? The Wild have clearly adjusted to the Avalanche.

So now, the Avalanche must do the same and move one step ahead of Minnesota.

The Wild and Avalanche will square off in a crucial Game 4 on Monday night at the Xcel Energy Center. The Avs cannot afford to let the Wild even the series. The plan will be to grab a 3-1 lead and liquidate the series at home.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow