ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored first and assisted on the next two goals as the Minnesota Wild forced a goalie change and handed the Colorado Avalanche their first loss in this postseason with a 5-1 victory in Game 3 of their second-round NHL playoff series on Saturday night.
Quinn Hughes followed Kaprizov’s four-on-four score late in the first period with a four-on-three goal less than two minutes later. Ryan Hartman batted in a deflected power-play shot with 4:23 elapsed in the second period to prompt an early departure for Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewood in favor of Mackenzie Blackwood.
Nathan MacKinnon got the Avalanche on the board on a power play later in the second period, but Brock Faber answered just 20 seconds later by deflecting a puck past Blackwood. MacKinnon’s first line was the only trio that generated much offense, and the Avalanche had more lapses in defensive coverage than they exhibited in the first two games.
“We played against a desperate hockey team that looked to me like they had more determination,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “They were more tenacious, more physical.”
Matt Boldy added an empty-net goal and Jesper Wallstedt made 35 saves in his return to the net for the Wild after a 9-6 loss in the unhinged series opener prompted a start for Filip Gustavsson in the 5-2 loss in Game 2.
Four days later, the Wild were a much sharper team.
“I think we take a little breath and take a couple good days to practice and a couple days off and it obviously helps us, everyone, feel better,” Kaprizov said.
Faber had two assists and has nine points in nine playoff games. Mats Zuccarello, who took the shot that Faber tipped past Blackwood, also had two assists and has 10 points in seven playoff games. The money man Kaprizov, who signed the richest contract in NHL history before the season and was nicknamed “Dolla Bill Kirill” by his teammates a few years ago, moved into the league postseason lead with 14 points.
“It’s that ultra competitor, the way he digs in. It felt like he won every battle. He was flying tonight,” Faber said. “That’s what he expects of himself. He wants to win as bad as anyone.”
The Avalanche will take a 2-1 lead into Game 4 in Minnesota on Monday, before the teams return to Colorado for Game 5 on Wednesday.
The Avalanche faced their first multigoal deficit of this postseason after they had 12 different players score over the first two games of this series, an NHL record.
Wedgewood, who led the NHL in save percentage and goals against average during the regular season and had matched the franchise postseason record with six consecutive victories, made nine saves. Blackwood had 12.
“I’m not saying that we didn’t come out and work hard. I’m just saying that there was a level that they had that we didn’t get to,” Bednar said. “If you’re going to win a hockey game against a really good team in the playoffs, it’s not here and there and from certain guys. It has to be everybody.”
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl