Nathan MacKinnon’s postseason was off to a slow start after three games. Three contests later, he’s a Conn Smythe Trophy candidate.
MacKinnon had a goal and two assists — his third straight three-point game — and the Colorado Avalanche rolled to a 5-2 win in Game 2 of this second-round series Tuesday night against the Minnesota Wild. Scott Wedgewood made 29 saves, and as the snow fell outside Ball Arena, the Avs smothered the visitors over the final two periods of this contest to grab a 2-0 series lead.
“(MacKinnon) was unbelievable tonight,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “On both sides of the puck. The physicality, the defending details, the hunger to check pucks back in all three zones, and the speed and pace that he played with early in the game. It was like he was shot out of a cannon.
“It’s not about production. You know he’s going to produce, but he’s just doing whatever it takes for our team to win, because that’s what he wants the most. … That game was off the charts, in my opinion.”
Necas and MacKinnon teamed up for a near coast-to-coast passing clinic to give Colorado the lead on the Avalanche’s first shot of the game. The puck pinged between them four times before Necas flicked a backhanded shot through Minnesota goaltender Filip Gustavsson just 2 minutes, 51 seconds in.
It was Necas’ first goal of this postseason. Both he and MacKinnon had three points in Game 1 and two each by the end of the opening period in Game 2. MacKinnon now has four goals and 10 points in this postseason.
Before Alan Roach could finish announcing the Necas goal to the frenzied patrons, Kirill Kaprizov had tied the game six seconds later. The Wild won the ensuing faceoff, and a miscommunication left Kaprizov breaking towards the net unmarked.
That was two goals on three shots. When the Avs scored on their second shot of the game, the two teams were shooting a combined 75% from the field. It was certainly shades of a chaotic Game 1, which Colorado won 9-6.
Gabe Landeskog made it 2-1 at 8:24 of the first on the power play. It was a surgical strike. The puck went around the horn to MacKinnon near the goal line before he fed Landeskog for a lay-up at the edge of the crease. It was Landeskog’s third goal of the postseason.
There were plenty of chances after that, but the goalies were both better for the rest of the period. Then the Avalanche scored on its first shot of the second period to make it a 3-1 advantage.
Sam Malinski helped turn the puck over in the neutral zone, then Brock Nelson and Ross Colton counter-attacked. Colton got the puck to Nicolas Roy, who snapped a shot from between the hash marks past Gustavsson at 1:24 of the second.
It was the third goal in six playoff games for Roy, who joined the Avs just before the trade deadline from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The rest of the second period was far less flashy than the first four of this series, but it was also a strong 18 minutes for the home team.
“Yeah, a little bit different than (Game 1),” Roy said. “We tried to change some things in the defensive zone. I think we were better on the outside. So, I think a better effort for sure.”
MacKinnon added the club’s second power-play goal of the night at 13:18 of the third period to give Colorado a 4-1 lead. The Avs have scored three times with the extra man in this series, which was an area of concern for much of the regular season.
Colorado won a wild Game 1. The Avs raced to a 3-0 lead and eventually fell behind 5-4 but a pair of Cale Makar goals in the third sandwiched around one from Nazem Kadri proved to the difference.
Avs coach Jared Bednar stuck with Wedgewood, and he bounced back in a big way. Wild coach John Hynes made the switch in net, replacing Jesper Wallstedt with Gustavsson. Colorado scored on three of its first nine shots, but Gustavsson was better in the second half of this game, which sets up an interesting decision for Minnesota in Game 3.
That one will be in the Twin Cities, and because of a scheduling quirk there be three off days before these teams reconvene Saturday night.
“Itap one game at a time. Itap coming into the next game ready to go,” Wild star Matt Boldy said. “Make our adjustments and be better. You don’t win a series with two wins. Thatap our mindset.
“We know we have to be better in certain areas. I’m confident this group is going to take the strides in the right direction.”
