ST. PAUL, Minn. — So far in these Western Conference quarterfinals, the Avalanche has knocked two pucks into its own net. The second one cost it a playoff game Friday night.
Keith Carney’s slap shot 1:14 into overtime deflected in off the skate of Avalanche defenseman Ruslan Salei to give the Minnesota Wild a 3-2 victory in Game 2 of an intense playoff matchup between division rivals.The series is tied at one game apiece, with Game 3 set for Monday at the Pepsi Center.
“It was a fortunate bounce for them against us, but those things happen,” Avs coach Joel Quenneville said.
The Wild had a good shift against the Avs line of Joe Sakic, Andrew Brunette and Wojtek Wolski — a line that just didn’t play its best all night — and victory came after Carney slapped it from the left boards, while Salei was tied up with Brian Rolston.
“They were coming in the third period. They were playing desperate,” Sakic said. “We had a great goal to tie it and get it to overtime, but unfortunately it didn’t last very long.”
Milan Hejduk tied the game with 44 seconds left in regulation, tipping home a John-Michael Liles slapper on the power play. Wild defenseman Kim Johnsson was whistled for hooking with 1:09 left to give the Avs a man advantage, and with Jose Theodore on the bench it was a 6-on-4 situation.
Liles sized up the play after the Avs won the draw back to him, and Hej-duk tipped it in past Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom.
The Wild looked to have won it in regulation when Mikko Koivu scored with 1:50 left, on a knuckleball slap shot from near the blue line.
The first two periods were very physical, and the Avs dished out as well as they received — and then some. Paul Stastny leveled Branko Radivojevic in the first and Radivojevic hurt his right knee. The Avs also roughed up Wild star Marian Gaborik a bit, and didn’t allow much Wild traffic in front of the net.
Peter Forsberg was in the middle of some of the rough stuff, but he found time to score a pretty goal, too. He scored his first of the postseason at 17:06 of the first, after crossing from the right side to the middle and firing a shot past Backstrom’s left shoulder.
Theodore made the goal stand up entering the third period. He was again very good, stopping all 14 shots he faced. He also got some help from his goal posts, as both Gaborik and Aaron Voros rang the iron with shots in the second period.
The Wild finally got on the board early in the third, on a seeing-eye slap shot from the point by Pavol Demitra.
The Avs have now been outscored 4-1 in the third period of the series, something they know they have to improve.
“We gave up a few too many chances in the third,” said Sakic, whose team was outshot 16-10 in the third. “We have to take care of the lead in the third. The games are only going to get bigger.”
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
