ST. PAUL, Minn. — Martin Necas might never play like a moose, but the days of critics calling him a playoff mouse might be numbered.
Necas had one of his best games in a Colorado Avalanche uniform Monday night, setting up two Game 4 goals and making critical plays at both ends of the ice in a 5-2 win at Grand Casino Arena that sent the Minnesota Wild to the brink.
“Yeah, he had jump. He had jump all night,” Avs captain Gabe Landeskog said. “Even before the game, he was antsy and wanted the puck to drop. He’s a gamer. He wants to be a big part of these games. He had some big jump tonight — on the forecheck, especially, and on the backcheck. He was making big plays all over the ice.”
When the Avalanche acquired Necas as the marquee piece of the Mikko Rantanen trade, the organization had to believe there could be nights like this. Necas was a very productive player for the Carolina Hurricanes, but his playoff production — 11 goals, 30 points in 59 postseason contests — left people wanting more.
Necas’ world-class skill is obvious. The idea that he’d find a new level playing next to Nathan MacKinnon, and away from Carolina’s system, was a pretty easy bet to make.
He fulfilled that part quickly — career highs in goals (38) and points (100) in his first full season with Colorado. But would he be able to impact playoff games the same way? That was a tougher question to answer.
There were signs. He was Czechia’s best player at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He was a monster after the Olympic break — 16 goals and 38 points in 26 games, or a 50-goal, 120-point pace.
Now he has nine points in eight playoff games, but it goes beyond the production. Necas is forechecking well. He’s hitting guys. He’s making sound defensive plays.
When the Avs were down 1-0 in Game 4, he bullied an elite defenseman, Brock Faber, to win a puck battle and then quickly fed Nazem Kadri with a cross-ice pass to set up Colorado’s first goal.
Hits are not the most illuminating stat — he wasn’t even credited with one when planted Faber on the ice — but Necas has been credited with 29 in 15 playoff games in an Avs uniform. He’s hit Quinn Hughes three times in this series, one of several Avs players who have made it a habit of putting No. 43 in their sights.
“Yeah, I think it comes naturally with the playoffs,” Necas said. “Just a battle for the puck. They got some good players. So do we. Both teams try to hit them and make it less fun for them.”
That Jared Bednar even had Necas on the ice with Minnesota’s net empty and his Avalanche team defending a one-goal lead speaks volumes about the trust he’s earned from his coach.
And the Wild were buzzing with the extra skater on the ice, desperate for a chance to push Game 4 to overtime. Faber whistled a shot just high and wide, and the puck came to Matt Boldy in the left corner. He tried to get the puck out to the left point and Hughes, but Necas pounced.
Necas — he tried to take away a potential shot-pass from Faber to Mats Zuccarello, who was wide open in front of the Avs net. He then circled the net, anticipated Boldy’s pass to Hughes and hunted it down before making a move on the all-world defenseman and finding MacKinnon for the game-ending play.
It was skill, determination and defensive awareness all in one shift. It was a championship-level shift, in a night full of them for Necas.
“We’ve talked about it before, but his commitment to defending and then he’s got skill that not many guys possess with the way he’s shifty with the puck,” Landeskog said. “Yeah, it was a big game for him.”
