Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs started for the Colorado Avalanche last night with a bang. A thrilling 9-6 victory over the rival Minnesota Wild showed off what the Avs‘ potent offense could do. It was a crazy game to say the least. The Avs led by three goals early on, were down by one late in the second before going up three again on an empty net goal from Nathan MacKinnon. Between both teams, there were 14 different goal scorers. A far cry from the defense-first sweep over the Los Angeles Kings in Round 1.
Adapting to the opponent
The Avalanche showed off what may be their biggest strength: Adaptability. The series against the Los Angeles Kings was a pure defensive chess match. Los Angeles knew they couldn't keep up offensively with the Avalanche so they mucked it up and tried to keep it close. The Kings are really good at this as that's been their identity for quite a few years. But, it's obvious that head coach Jared Bednar and the Avs knew the gameplan they were going to face. They played to what the Kings wanted to do and beat them at it.
And now, after Game 1 against the Minnesota Wild, the Avalanche have again shown their adaptability by flexing their offensive muscles. After taking a 3-0 lead, the Wild got two back before the end of the first period. The second frame saw the Avs go up 4-2, give up three in a row and then tie it at five at the end of the second. The Avalanche never let up and continued to play the game that the Wild brought to them. And then they beat them at it.
Colorado Avalanche and adapting in-game
Even within the game, the Avalanche had to overcome more than just one of the best teams in the league. They played with five defensemen for much of the night. Cale Makar sat out almost the entire first period due to an apparent hip/back injury. After that, Sam Malinski took a puck to the face and needed repairs.
The power play went 1-for-2, but also gave up a shorthanded goal. That gave the Wild their 5-4 lead in the second. The Avs continued to grind at the power play and scored just after the time on the man advantage had expired. This team continues to work through whatever comes their way.
The Wild are a really good team. They will also change their gameplan moving forward and the Avalanche will have to continue to adapt. I would bet the Wild will start to ramp up the physicality, especially if they end up down two games. These teams are very evenly-matched and the difference could come down to special teams. The Avalanche led the league in both offense and defense in the regular season. They should continue to play with the mentality that they can win any type of game.
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