Goaltenders | Defensemen | Wings

There are only two NHL teams besides the Colorado Avalanche who are in the conversation for best collection of centers and those clubs have combined for five Stanley Cup Final appearances in the past four seasons.

Center talent and depth was undeniably one of the reasons Colorado stormed through the regular season as the league’s top team and breezed by Los Angeles and Minnesota in the first two rounds of the playoffs. It’s also a valid reason for Avs fans to be frustrated.

Florida has two championships and a third Cup Final appearance with Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell. Edmonton has two trips to the Cup Final with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

But the Avs stalled out in the Western Conference Final this past season with Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri and Jack Drury at center, not to mention Nicolas Roy and others capable of moving to the middle when needed.

Those guys are obviously a big reason why the “Cup or bust” expectations will remain next season.

“The core guys are still here, so we’re going to shoot and try and win another Cup next year, and make it two,” Avalanche president and general manager Joe Sakic said. “But I will tell you, it’s a tough league. We’re not the only team that is trying to win the Stanley Cup. I mean, it’s a deep league. There’s a lot of great teams, and there’s only one team at the end of every year that’s happy.

“With our group, their goal is to try and win another Stanley Cup, and that’s what they’re going to shoot for, and that’s what we’re going to try and hopefully do.”

What just happened

MacKinnon led the NHL in goals for the first time and finished third in the Hart Trophy voting. His 127 points are third-most in franchise history, and he now owns the two best seasons since the club moved to Denver. When MacKinnon was injured blocking a shot with the Avs up 3-2 in Game 3 of the conference final, the season effectively ended in that moment.

Nelson had a great regular season — netting 33 goals, scoring 65 points, and finishing third in the Selke Trophy voting. When he and Valeri Nichushkin were paired together, it was the best 1-2 punch in the NHL at controlling possession and one of the league’s top penalty-killing duos as well. Nelson struggled throughout the postseason, most frustratingly when he failed to convert several great chances against Vegas.

Kadri arrived at the deadline to much fanfare. His production improved with Colorado despite moving down the lineup. He helped the power play surge in March and look competent in the first two rounds. He also sustained a broken finger in April, which kind of got lost among all the other injuries Colorado players were dealing with during the Vegas series.

Drury was OK as the club’s No. 3 center, but was excellent when moved back to his No. 4 role. He’s one of the very best 4Cs in the league and a strong penalty killer.

Roy arrived one day before Kadri, and spent most of his time on the wing. He was strong in a supporting role during the playoffs. Both Parker Kelly and Ross Colton spent some time at center, but coach Jared Bednar liked both more on the wing. Rookie Zakhar Bardakov also spent some of his limited ice time at center and looked like a player who might fit better in the long term as a wing.

“When I look at their team, I guess I lean towards not making a whole bunch of changes,” ESPN analyst Ray Ferraro told The Denver Post. “But I would wonder if there’s a way they can spruce up the middle of the ice with a little more speed? So maybe Kadri needs to go to the wing, and if you do that, can you find a centerman that can play there?

What¶¶Òõap next

The Avs’ center depth and talent looked formidable before the stunning results against Vegas.

Will Nelson bounce back after a tough postseason? He was a consistent playoff performer with the Islanders.

Kadri is a slightly different case because of his history in Denver, but Nelson was much better in his first full season after the trade. Could Kadri, given the unsettling aspects of a trade and the finger injury, find a bump in play next year?

To further Ferraro’s point, Kadri turns 36 years old on Oct. 6. Nelson turns 35 nine days later. MacKinnon will be 31 in September, though he obviously remains one of the fastest, most dynamic players in the sport. Roy turns 30 in February.

It is an interesting idea, trying to find a younger center with more pace to join the group. Kadri had mixed results on the wing when he spent some time there for the Avs.

Drury is a restricted free agent and is one of the keys to this offseason. With Colton off to Nashville, the Avs have nearly $7 million in cap space. They also need to sign at least two NHL defensemen.

While Colorado views Drury as a No. 4 center and would certainly like to keep him, there is probably a team or six out there that would like to have Drury as an option for its No. 3C role. If the two sides can’t find the middle ground on a contract, the Avs could hold their ground and see what an unpleasant arbitration process yields.

That would likely lead to a one- or two-year contract and more than likely a new team in the near future. If Drury won the arbitration case, that could cause salary-cap-related problems for the club. Or the Avs could explore a trade for Drury’s rights before it ever got to that.

If everyone is here on opening night, the Avs still have a very strong 1-4 up the middle with Roy and Kelly as solid options in reserve. High-profile college free agent addition TJ Hughes can also play center. He’s been an offense-first player, but his college coach believes he can help an NHL team in the near future in any role.

Future depth chart

*Unrestricted free agent in 2027; + Restricted free agent on July 1; # RFA in 2027

This is where things could get interesting.

The Avs look set in net, both at the NHL level and beyond, for next season. The defense corps needs some work, but there’s an excellent top four to build around.

But the place to look for where newly named general manager Joe Sakic might shake up this roster for next season is on the wings. It already started Tuesday, when the Avalanche sent Ross Colton to the Nashville Predators, reuniting him with Chris MacFarland, for two third-round picks.

And Colton might not be the only wing who isn’t on the roster on opening night.

What just happened

When all of Colorado’s wings were healthy last season, it was hard to name more than one or two teams with a better collection of them in the NHL.

Martin Necas had a career season, setting new highs with 38 goals and 100 points. He was also Czechia’s best player at the 2026 Winter Olympics, had a great second round against the Minnesota Wild and then was one of Colorado’s least impactful players against Vegas in the Western Conference Final.

Gabe Landeskog’s brilliant comeback story continued. He won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, did not miss a game in the regular season because of his reconstructed knee and then had five goals and 11 points in 13 playoff games.

Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen were both very good and very important players, though neither produced goals at the same per-contest rate as they have in recent seasons. Both also missed time during the playoffs with injuries, and their effectiveness was limited by said ailments in other contests as well.

Colton scuffled for long stretches in the regular season and spent the first two games of the playoffs as a healthy scratch, but was one of the club’s more consistent players once inserted into the lineup. Nicolas Roy, who also saw some time at center, was a great fit as a depth scorer and versatile player after arriving from Toronto ahead of the trade deadline.

Parker Kelly had a dream season, smashing career-best totals with 21 goals and 35 points. Logan O’Connor missed nearly the entire regular season, but looked like the critical depth playoff performer of old once the postseason began.

Joel Kiviranta’s year after a breakout offensive campaign did not look as impressive on the scoresheet as the 2024-25 season, but he remained a trusted depth guy for coach Jared Bednar. Zakhar Bardakov made the team in training camp and showed flashes of intriguing energy, but the NHL rookie played in just four of the final 12 regular-season games and did not play in the playoffs. He is a restricted free agent and could return to Russia because there isn’t an obvious path to more regular time next year in Denver.

Gavin Brindley was the club’s best rookie and an early-season spark plug, but he was sent to the AHL shortly after the Avs loaded up at the deadline and did not return. Taylor Makar made the most appearances (12) of a forward who began the season with the Colorado Eagles and looked like a player who might turn out to be a fourth-line regular at some point in the future.

What¶¶Òõap next

Colton is gone … will anyone else from this group join him?

Necas is about to start the first season of an eight-year, $92 million contract. His full no-move clause kicks in July 1. He could finish with 110 points next season, but he can’t answer the big-picture questions about his ultimate value until the 2027 playoffs.

When Nichushkin and Lehkonen are healthy and in form, they give the Avs star-level value on very team-friendly contracts. But, the first part of that sentence feels more in question, given their ages and style of play. Lehkonen is also entering the final year of his contract, so all options — an extension, playing it out or a trade — seem plausible.

In each of the past two postseasons when Colorado advanced beyond the first round, Lehkonen’s impact declined. That was definitely injury-related in 2026. Nichushkin’s availability issues have been well documented.

Not everyone in this core group will age at the same rate. Finding a way to inject another impact player into this group that is closer to Necas’ age or even younger would be ideal, but the Avs don’t have the future assets (nor the cap flexibility) to do that right now. Trading another outer-circle core piece might be the only avenue.

Landeskog had no tangible issues with his knee this year, but that doesn’t mean it’s fine in perpetuity. His value obviously goes far beyond the production. Colton has to be replaced, though there could be an internal candidate or two — at least to start next season.

Either Roy or Kelly could end up back at center if Jack Drury doesn’t return. Conversely, Nazem Kadri could slide to the wing to help one of the top-two lines if Bednar thinks one of the depth guys can handle the No. 3 center spot.

Brindley and Makar will be two guys to watch during training camp, along with T.J. Hughes, who had no trouble being an impact guy for the Eagles, but his ultimate NHL ceiling is both unclear and fascinating.

There are lots of questions here:

1. Will the Avs just run this group back, minus Colton, and expect either better health luck, improved postseason results or both?

2. Will the Avs be able to find a younger top-nine forward while still rebuilding the back half of the defense corps?

3. Could the Avs afford to part with a top-end forward to specifically add one more impact defenseman, and is there enough depth up front to cover for that, at least until the trade deadline?

Moving Colton for cap flexibility kicked off the Sakic 2.0 regime and the 2026 offseason. It might not be the last big shakeup, either.

Future depth chart

^ Unrestricted free agent on July 1; * UFA in 2027; + Restricted free agent on July 1; # RFA in 2027

The Avs have failed four consecutive seasons to reach the finish line. But did you see the speed, the passing, the scoring before the final lap? Amazing, right?

Sports make hypocrites of all of us.

And the Avs’ long-awaited, season-ending press conference Thursday nestled their leadership firmly into this category.

For a franchise that adopted a Stanley Cup-or-bust mentality in October, vice chairman Josh Kroenke and president/general manager Joe Sakic sure seemed satisfied with a seven-month process that came up embarrassingly short in an early Las Vegas summer.

“Our style worked all year,” Sakic said. “It just didn’t work for one week.”

“The continuity is what has established this core group,” Kroenke added, “as elite.”

In the wake of another playoff disappointment, I naively thought management would shed their long-held beliefs and focus on sobering truths.

The truth is coach Jared Bednar’s system no longer works in the playoffs. Colorado can outscore anyone, anywhere in the regular season. However, force the Avs to face a possession-oriented, defensive-minded team that protects the middle of the ice in the postseason and watch them melt. Sakic, in one of his few moments of critique, allowed that the Golden Knights “frustrated” the Avs. More like took their soul and made the hockey world question their strategy and pride. But sure, let’s go with frustration (insert eye roll).

The truth is the Avs need a new voice. Keeping Bednar — and there was no discussion of moving on from him or any member of his staff — feels like staying in the marriage for the kids. Not sure if you heard, but the guys in the room have his back. “He has the total confidence of the players,” Kroenke said when I asked why the organization was sticking with Bednar. Chipped in Sakic, “He’s the best coach for the group. They love playing for him. They believe in him. And I am going with the players.” Letting the players make this decision is like allowing children to choose breakfast and wondering why they have a stomachache from ice cream and Flaming Hot Cheetos.

Not saying that Bednar is a Disneyland dad. But he is not a disciplinarian. Of course, the players adore him because his style is frenetic and fun. But how do they reward him when it matters most? After losing consecutive home games to the Golden Knights, the Avs took a 3-0 lead in Game 3 and collapsed. A suspect penalty on Josh Manson hurt, and Nathan MacKinnon blocking a puck with his knee really hurt, but those are excuses.

The shift after MacKinnon exited, the Golden Knights scored. Want to show you love your coach? Rise up in the biggest moments, not on a lazy Tuesday night in Columbus. Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour is considered Bednar’s coaching twin. How did the Hurricanes respond to heart-in-a-blender losses in Games 1 and 3 to Las Vegas? With character-defining victories. The Avs countered by getting swept.

The truth is Sakic’s motivation for next season’s team is flawed. “They will be hungrier,” he insisted. Older? Definitely. Hungrier? Nope. Seriously, how much bigger an appetite for redemption can they muster? They entered last year with an unhealthy obsession to avenge their playoff elimination by Dallas. So, climbing one rung higher and losing to a different team will lead to raising the Cup? Sorry. Not buying it. Nobody can question the Avs’ drive. They want another championship, but are they willing to adapt in the postseason to get it?

The truth is the Avs are not winning another title without the schedule breaking their way. We all loathe the NHL’s postseason format that pits good teams in early rounds and dilutes the value of a top seed. Only one of the last 15 Stanley Cup winners also won the President’s Trophy, a statistical oddity that does not exist in the NFL, MLB or NBA. But nothing sounds more limp than a great team asking for help. If the Avs faced Utah and Anaheim in the first two rounds, do they beat Las Vegas? Maybe. But the Avs put together one of the best seasons of all time, so the idea that they must have the perfect path to reach their goal is unbecoming.

The truth is the Avs must confront uncomfortable questions with their roster. They looked tired in the playoffs because they are getting old. The reality is that it is more likely that Brock Nelson, Valeri Nichushkin and Nazem Kadri regress than have greater success. Same goes for Parker Kelly.  The Avs must look to trade one of their big contracts to slow the aging process and leave them fresher in the postseason.

The truth is that one championship is not enough for the core of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Gabe Landekskog. Yet, where the masses saw disappointment, Sakic saw accomplishment. “We could panic and blow it up and start it over. But what this team did was pretty remarkable. The last two trade deadlines were meant not just for that year but to bring another Stanley Cup (eventually).”

The Avs have a handful of needs this offseason — Mackenzie Blackwood must establish himself as the No. 1 goalie after Scott Wedgewood showed his ceiling and Colorado requires a new power play plan.

The Avs’ biggest need is not a change in their roster, but a change in their belief system. They must be willing to get more physical and tougher.

Otherwise, Makar will be wincing through pain trying to explain the unfathomable, Blackwood will be dropping F-bombs in disbelief and MacKinnon will be ducking reporters despite being the team’s best player.

Sakic said that the Kroenkes have given him everything he needs. There might be, Sakic hinted, a trade. But it is hard to see a seismic event matching what has occurred over the last two seasons. The roster, for the most part, is set.

The truth is the Avs cannot change the ending until they change their thinking. Their loyalty is going to prevent them from posting the necessary eight more postseason victories.

The Avs are going to be good next season.

But the truth is, they are not going to win another Cup without changing how they view their team. And those are just the cold hard facts.

The team that was leading the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs in goals per game after two rounds — a club that scored nine times in one game against a strong defensive team three weeks ago — managed just seven in the entire Western Conference Final.

Of all the reasons why the Colorado Avalanche are no longer participating in this tournament, that is the hardest one to fathom.

“I felt like we were generating enough to create chances, doing enough things to find the back of the net a couple times, and yeah, it just comes down to one chance,” Avs star defenseman Cale Makar said. “I felt like every game in this series was like that.”

The Avs scored 298 goals in the regular season, seven more than the Carolina Hurricanes at the top of the league. They had scored 37 in nine games through the first two rounds of the postseason.

Other things went wrong while the Vegas Golden Knights completed one of the most shocking sweeps in recent NHL postseason history. Vegas won the goaltending battle in the first three games. The Avs made mistakes at critical times, which gave the Golden Knights great scoring chances.

But the offense going Arctic Circle levels of cold is the most shocking issue. Colorado hadn’t been held to fewer than eight goals in any four-game stretch since Oct. 26-Nov. 4, 2023.

“I think it¶¶Òõap their checking game and I thought Carter Hart had an incredible series at times,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Sometimes I think we did a good job. Like I said before, you’re looking at this series going into this final game, the analytics are tight, they’re close in all aspects.

“(Hart) played really well and I think their team made it super difficult to create quality looks and when we did he made the saves. That had all something to do with it.”

The Avs feeling like they were getting enough chances, but not converting them was a theme throughout the series. That was definitely true in Game 1.

Colorado finished that game with 38 shots on net. The Avs also generated 4.44 expected goals, the second-most during this postseason run, but lost 4-2.

The next three games, the Avs did not create enough chances, or generate enough expected goals. It may have felt like they did, and in relation to what Vegas was producing, it was as Bednar put it, very tight.

But, the Avs generated 6.69 expected goals in Games 2-4 combined. The individual totals were three of the four worst outputs in the 2026 playoffs for Colorado. That’s an average of 2.23 per contest.

The Avs had just six games in the regular season where they generated 2.23 expected goals or less.

Colorado shot the puck more than Vegas did in this series. The Avs even had more scoring chances, at least before Game 4. The Golden Knights had a 75-72 advantage in scoring chances over the final three games.

But getting into the dirty areas and creating the best scoring chances was a huge problem. The Avalanche generated six high-danger scoring chances in each of the final three games of this series. They had just two in the third periods of those games — both in Game 3.

“I think we were generating looks still, but we just couldn’t get them in the net,” Avs defenseman Devon Toews said. “That’s the way it goes at times. There are times in the regular season where you might go 10 games where’s it just really hard to score goals.

“We went four games here where we couldn’t quite get enough to push it over the line and push a couple of games into our column.”

The individual results from this series were as improbable as the result. Colorado had six players score 20 or more goals this season.

Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, Cale Makar, Parker Kelly and Artturi Lehkonen combined for 186 goals this season. None of those six players scored a goal against the Golden Knights.

Nelson had two quality chances and set up a third during one shift in Game 4. He hit the crossbar with a chance that might have curtailed Vegas’ comeback plans in Game 3. He’s had great postseasons before with the New York Islanders.

He called this the most frustrating playoff experience of his career. He might not be alone in the Colorado locker room.

“I felt like in a couple of the games, we had our fair share of looks and they didn’t go in,” Nelson said. “Yeah, which obviously it¶¶Òõap all the more frustrating right now.

“I mean, this one … I feel like it¶¶Òõap going to take some time to kind of digest and process.”

Then a three-goal lead disappeared as quickly as it was created, another superstar was injured, and this once-dream season is officially on the brink.

The Vegas Golden Knights rallied after yielding the first three goals of this game, with Tomas Hertl providing the game-winner in a 5-3 victory in Game 3 of this best-of-seven series at T-Mobile Arena.

“It’s frustrating,” said Avs star Cale Makar, who returned after missing the first two games of this series. “I mean, we’ve been on the other side of that, obviously coming back from that, and it’s going to happen. But it can’t happen at this time of the year. I felt like they got some lucky bounces, but we’ve got to find a little bit better way to kind of challenge ourselves in those moments and come out of that.

“Just unfortunate. We still had a chance, obviously, in the third there.”

Vegas leads the series 3-0. The Golden Knights can complete an absolutely stunning sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy winners on their home ice on Tuesday night.

To make matters worse, Avs superstar Nathan MacKinnon was injured blocking a shot during the second period. He tried to play through it after taking a hard shot from Shea Theodore off the outside of his right knee, but his mobility was clearly limited.

MacKinnon took one normal shift in the third period, then went on the ice for Colorado’s power play. His three even-strength shifts after the injury totaled a combined 88 seconds, and the Avs were without the NHL’s leading goal scorer this season while trying to come back until MacKinnon went out again for a 6-on-5 shift.

That shift ended with Brett Howden’s empty-net goal to seal the Vegas victory. MacKinnon still managed to play 4:05 in the third period, but that’s maybe 40 percent of what he’d play when healthy in this situation.

Avs coach Jared Bednar also noted that Valeri Nichushkin was injured in the third period. Nichuhskin did not play in the final 22 minutes of this contest.

“Well, it¶¶Òõap low,” Bednar said when asked about the emotions of his team after a loss like that. “As low as it can get, because it¶¶Òõap a big hill to climb. The next 24-to-36 hours is for … you’ve got to find a way to get over it, regroup and go again.”

A tale of two periods

The first period couldn’t have gone much better for the visitors. The second period couldn’t have gone much worse.

Colorado blew a three-goal lead in less than 13 minutes. Vegas scored three times in the period on just eight shots.

“Everything,” Bednar said when asked what fell apart after the first. “Yeah, the first 9 minutes (of the second) kind of looked like portions of Game 1 for me and parts of Game 2 where we mismanaged the puck on breakouts. Then they just got more competitive and we didn’t stay with that intensity for nine minutes. A little bit of communication, some talk and we just didn’t dig in and match their intensity at the start of the second quick enough.”

The Golden Knights began the middle period on the power play. It took them 19 seconds to convert. Vegas captain Mark Stone, who returned after missing the past five games with an injury, tapped home a pass from Mitch Marner near the right post after a perfectly executed dump-in and retrieval.

William Karlsson made it a 3-2 game at 4:05 of the period. Marner shot the puck from the right point. Scott Wedgewood made the first save, but the rebound bounced off Parker Kelly’s stick and right to Karlsson, who whipped a shot inside the near post before the Avs goaltender could get square to him.

It was the first goal of the postseason for Karlsson, who is one of the original Vegas ‘Misfits’ from the inaugural season, but missed a huge chunk of this year before returning during the last round.

MacKinnon took a hard shot off the outside of his right knee with 7:54 remaining in the period. He was writhing on the ice for 9 seconds before play was stopped.

Keegan Kolesar tied the game at 3-3 on the next shift. Kolesar deflected a shot from the top of the zone by Dylan Coghlan off the right post and then tapped the rebound into the net for his first goal of this postseason.

“To me it¶¶Òõap the full 60(-minute) effort, competitiveness at times, puck moving and some turnovers that can get you,” Bednar said. “They’re going to make it difficult on you, but you have to try create enough chances and finish off enough to win a hockey game.”

Colorado’s offense roared to life at the start of this contest after two rough nights back home at Ball Arena.

Landeskog put the Avs in front just 3:21 into this contest. Devon Toews beat Noah Hanifin to a loose puck in the neutral zone, which created a 2-on-1. Hanifin took a penalty trying to defend Toews as he took the puck to the net, but Landeskog was there to put home the rebound.

That is five goals for Landeskog in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, just another chapter in his remarkable comeback story.

That was also Colorado’s first lead of the series. Nazem Kadri, moved up to the second line and to the wing for the first time in this postseason, doubled the advantage at 7:03 with one of the best team-effort goals of the season.

Josh Manson faked out Nic Dowd behind the Colorado net to free up space for the defenseman to hit Martin Necas with a tape-to-tape outlet pass beyond the red line. Necas split two defenders, then left the puck for Kadri, who buried a shot from the inside of the left circle for his third of the postseason.

Vegas thought it cut the lead in half during a Golden Knights power play. Pavel Dorofeyev batted the puck out of mid-air with a cross-checking motion near the edge of the Colorado crease. An official immediately waived off the goal, citing that Dorofeyev put the puck into the net with his hand.

After a lengthy review, the officials said the call on the ice was correct. Even if they had reversed it and awarded the goal, Colorado may have challenged for a high stick.

Either way, the Avs extended their lead to 3-0 just 43 seconds later. Parker Kelly backhanded the puck out of the Avs zone and two Vegas players missed it when trying to keep it in, leaving Jack Drury alone for a shorthanded breakaway. His deke fooled Vegas goaltender Carter Hart, and the Avs had a three-goal lead with 6:45 remaining in the opening period.

That lead was gone a little less than 20 minutes later. The season will end Tuesday night if the Avs can’t find a way to extend this series and get back to Ball Arena for a potential Game 5.

“You can go so many different ways, but we need to play better,” Landeskog said. “Simple as that. We need better, and we need to find a way to score more goals, and I thought we did a good job of that tonight. Obviously, build a lead, and then they claw their way into it. They’re a good team over there.”

Golden Knights: 39-26-17, 92 points; 3.22 goals per game (14th); 2.95 goals against per game (12th)

Avalanche: 55-16-11, 121 points; 3.63 goals per game (1st), 2.40 goals against per game (1st)

Offense

Minnesota had star power on par with Colorado, but the Wild’s depth was wanting. Vegas is, on paper, the most complete team the Avs have faced. Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner are two of the best players on the planet, though they have been playing on different lines recently. Mark Stone is one of the best two-way forwards in the league, but he missed the end of the Anaheim series, and his availability remains in question.

Pavel Dorofeyev is a pure goal scorer and particularly lethal on the power play. William Karlsson missed most of the season with an injury, but returned against the Ducks and centers the second line between Marner and Brett Howden, though Stone’s return would shake up the forward lines. Ivan Barbashev is another under-the-radar strong offensive player.

Tomas Hertl and Nic Dowd are better than any depth center Minnesota or Los Angeles was able to throw at the Avalanche. Brandon Saad and Reilly Smith are no longer impact players, but when everyone is healthy, they are the 13th and 14th forwards for the Golden Knights — a testament to the club’s depth up front.

Sixteen players scored for Colorado in the five-game series against Minnesota, while Nathan MacKinnon scored in every game. Martin Necas had four multi-point games against the Wild, including two key primary assists in both Games 4 and 5.

The least productive line of the four against Minnesota was the second unit, but that trio also shoulders significant defensive responsibilities. The Avs could use a breakout game or two from Brock Nelson or Valeri Nichushkin on the offensive side of the puck in this series.

Gabe Landeskog continues to be Jared Bednar’s fixer, moving from line to line and immediately helping that unit play better. Parker Kelly and Jack Drury had two goals each from the fourth line against Minnesota. If Artturi Lehkonen is able to play, the Avs are fully healthy up front and still the deepest group in the NHL.

Advantage: Avalanche

Defense

Both of these teams are excellent defensively, and that includes the forward groups helping out the defense corps. This series features a handful of the best defensive forwards in the league.

Cale Makar’s health is the dominant storyline at the start of this series. Makar missed games near the end of the regular season with an injury, but was excellent against the Kings in the opening round. Then he took an awkward hit in Game 1 against Minnesota and was clearly favoring his shoulder in Game 5. Bednar has said he’s “dealing with some stuff,” so it’s probably multiple ailments. Will he be able to play in this series, and how effective will he be?

The Avs are better on the blue line … if Makar is close to his normal self. Vegas lost Alex Pietrangelo for the year, but was able to add Rasmus Andersson ahead of the trade deadline. Andersson, Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin are the strong top-half of the defense corps — not as good Minnesota’s top three, but a strong trio. Brayden McNabb is a solid No. 4 guy, though he was ejected and suspended for a game in the last round for a dumb, late hit. Jeremy Lauzon hasn’t played since the Utah series, but could be another depth option if he gets healthy.

Avalanche star Cale Makar out for Game 1 of Western Conference Final

Colorado beat Minnesota in part because it was able to mitigate injuries to Sam Malinski and Josh Manson better than the Wild could handle not having Jonas Brodin. How will the bottom half of Vegas' defense corps perform in this series?

Advantage: Avalanche, assuming Makar can play

Special teams

Vegas was, on paper, a great team at the start of the year. The Golden Knights did not win like a great team for most of the year, in part because of poor goaltending. This was an excellent club on special teams, though. The Golden Knights finished the regular season sixth in the NHL on the power play and seventh on the penalty kill. Vegas and Pittsburgh were the only teams to finish in the top 10 in both.

It's been more of the same in the playoffs -- 25.7% on the power play (fourth) and 86.8% on the penalty kill (fifth). Vegas has also scored four times while shorthanded. No other club has more than one shorthanded tally in this tournament.

Colorado's power play started this postseason 0-for-9, but then scored six times in the next five games. It's been more effective, even in opportunities where the Avs don't convert. That said, the Avalanche allowed the most shorthanded goals during the regular season and one against Minnesota, so that will be something to watch out for.

The Avs' penalty kill was No. 1 in the NHL during the regular season. It has allowed six goals in this postseason, but two were 4-on-6 with the other goalie pulled, one was 3-on-4, and one was during the second half of a double minor. The traditional 4-on-5 PK has still been quite strong.

Advantage: Golden Knights

Goaltending

On form, Vegas goalie Carter Hart has been better of late. On track record, both Avalanche goalies were better this season.

Hart is a controversial figure. He was acquitted of sexual assault in July, reinstated by the NHL in September, signed by Vegas to a two-year contract in late October and made his return to NHL action in December. After a rocky start, Hart won his final seven decisions of the regular season, including six in April to help Vegas win the Pacific Division. He's 8-4 with a .915 save percentage in this tournament.

Scott Wedgewood was one of the best stories in the NHL this season, combining with Mackenzie Blackwood to win the William Jennings Trophy while making a career-high 43 starts. Wedgewood led the NHL in both save percentage (.921) and goals against average (2.02). He also had a sterling opening round against Los Angeles with five goals allowed in a four-game sweep.

That said, both Colorado goalies were pulled from games against Minnesota. Blackwood had a chance to take control of the net, but gave it back after just two starts. The guy with the best NHL postseason experience in this series is Vegas' Adin Hill, who led his club to the Cup in 2023 but has become an afterthought since Hart's play improved.

Advantage: Avalanche

Avalanche vs. Wild: 5 storylines to watch

1. How effective will Cale Makar be?

The Avs were able to get by against Minnesota at the end of the series, but Makar was clearly compromised in Game 5. He's had a week to heal up. He hasn't practiced, but Bednar said Tuesday he's not worried yet. His offensive impact waned in the Minnesota series, but the Avs were still getting it done defensively when he was on the ice. They're obviously going to need the best version of Makar that he can offer against Vegas.

2. Can Colorado keep up on special teams?

Colorado's dominance this season has been rooted in even-strength play, with a side of elite penalty killing. Now that the power play is improved, will the Avs be able to keep the Golden Knights from stealing games on special teams? This Vegas club is dangerous, both on the power play and the kill. If Colorado's PK has a good series and the Avs don't allowed shorthanded goals, the Avs should advance.

3. Who gets the inside track?

The DNA from Vegas' 2023 Cup run is still in there. The Golden Knights were shaky at times against Utah and Anaheim -- inferior opponents compared to Colorado — but when it was winning time, they locked it down defensively. They are adept at suppressing the best scoring chances. If there is an exposed thermal exhaust port in the Avs' 5-on-5 Death Star, it's that sometimes they will settle for Grade B-level chances and lean on their shooting talent instead of working to get into the Grade-A areas. If Vegas can lull them into that, and Hart can make the good-to-really good saves, this series will get tricky.

4. Will the Avs' goalie(s) rebound?

Wedgewood had an .872 save percentage against the Wild. Blackwood ... also had an .872 save percentage against Minnesota. It didn't hurt Colorado, because the Avs blitzed Minnesota with 24 goals, including 23 in the four wins. MacKinnon said Tuesday that he doesn't see how this won't be a long series. If it is, the Avs will likely need one of their two goalies to take control of the net and rattle off some better performances.

5. Are the Avs just better?

This could be the first storyline, but to put it bluntly ... is this Colorado team just better than Vegas? The Golden Knights, on paper, have an excellent roster. They have not played like an excellent team all year. Even this 15-4-1 run with John Tortorella as coach includes a bunch of wins over non-playoff teams and two series victories over young, untested opponents. There were times against Anaheim when it looked like Vegas had found its mojo. Is that the version the Avs will see in this series, or will Colorado have its way in a similar fashion as the last round? Minnesota was, on paper, an excellent team, too.

Avalanche vs. Wild series predictions

Corey Masisak, beat writer: If we knew on Wednesday morning that Cale Makar is good to go and close to 100%, then it feels like there aren't a lot of paths to victory here for Vegas. Carter Hart could play out of his mind. The Golden Knights could steal a game or two on special teams. Maybe this is finally the spot where the Avs beat themselves. This Colorado group has proven its mental toughness in the small spurts of adversity it has faced, though. Avs in 5.

Sean Keeler, sports columnist: Vegas can roll two lines that match Colorado's, especially if Mark Stone returns to the fold. But not four lines. No way. Per MoneyPuck.com, 25 different forward combos this postseason with at least 11 minutes of ice time had posted an expected goals percentage better than 66%. The Avs accounted for five of those tail-kicking combos -- the Kings had none; The Wild had two; Vegas has one. Cale or no Cale, Mitch Marner is on a serious heater right now. But if the Knights winger has to log more than 25 minutes per game, he'll be running on fumes by next Tuesday. Which, if you're Jared Bednar, is kind of the point. Avs in 6.

Troy Renck, sports columnist: There are some talking themselves into this as an even matchup. It is not. The Avs are the better team. But there are a few wrinkles of concern. Cale Makar doesn't look healthy, and how many more times is coach Jared Bednar going to pull the goalie before it affects Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood mentally? The Knights are equipped and designed to defend well in space. They have championship experience. But if Mark Stone, the Knights' version of Gabe Landeskog, remains sidelined, there is no chance Las Vegas upsets the Avs. Avs in 6.

Lori Punko, deputy sports editor: Even with the addition of Mitch Marner (ironically, traded by Toronto to Vegas for now-Av Nicolas Roy), the Golden Knights don't have the depth to keep up with the Avalanche. And Vegas could be without captain Mark Stone, who suffered a lower-body injury in Game 3 against the Anaheim Ducks, for at least several games. Colorado is averaging 3.31 goals per game to Vegas' 2.54. And the Avs, behind the tandem of Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood, are giving up just 1.97 goals per game to Vegas' 2.56. The Golden Knights will put up a fight, but they don't have the firepower to outscore Colorado. Avs in 5.

Kyle Newman, sportswriter: The Golden Knights were fined $100,000 and stripped of their second-round pick in this year's draft after the team didn't open the locker room and coach John Tortorella refused to meet with reporters following Vegas' series-clinching win over the Ducks last week. It seems like Tortorella is trying to cultivate an us-against-the-world attitude with his team, and that he believes blowing off the NHL's playoff media guidelines will somehow hyper-focus the Knights into beating the Avalanche. That is an approach a team would take only when they know they are seriously outmatched. Avs fans, start making Stanley Cup Final plans. Avs in 5.

Few moments in recent seasons have been tougher than the shocking end to Game 7 in Dallas last year. MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche were 13 minutes from the second round with a two-goal lead before ex-teammate Mikko Rantanen had three goals and an assist to give the Dallas Stars a 4-2 win and the series.

In a stunned locker room, MacKinnon said it best: “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

He was referring in part to how well the Avs had played, how the Stars had two critical players injured for most of the series and still, this core group’s quest for a second championship came up painfully short.

“Now that you ask me about it, I still think about it,” Avs forward Parker Kelly said. “It’s something you’re not going to forget. It’s definitely tough the whole summer, then once you get back to training camp, it’s like, ‘Hey, it’s a new year, new season. We’ve learned from it, and we’re going to try and use it as motivation.’

“You never totally get over it.”

It was a crossroads moment for the players, for the organization. Three straight years, Colorado fell well short of postseason expectations. This one, because of how it ended — and who the main antagonist was — felt a little different. Every NHL team that makes the Stanley Cup Playoffs but doesn’t win the title has a collective empty feeling at the end.

This was a different level of pain.

“Yeah, I probably felt sick to my stomach, physically, for a week or two,” Avs forward Jack Drury said. “Like, awful. Then, the rest of the summer, it sticks to you a little bit. You just try to grow from it. I think your whole life, any losses stick from when you’re 14-years-old on.

“I’ve heard Nate say it before, like you can use those things sometimes to make your team tighter and grow from it, and hopefully we can keep using it going forward.”

Colorado’s management group set the course for this 2025-26 team almost immediately after the Game 7 loss. President Joe Sakic joined general manager Chris MacFarland for the end-of-season press conference. Sakic’s appearance was rare and surprising, but the message was clear.

Sakic and MacFarland believed in this group, and felt they had a roster capable of winning the Stanley Cup. There would be no massive upheaval. This group would get another crack at it.

The Avs retained key trade addition Brock Nelson before he even had a chance to hit the open market. They signed Brent Burns to a one-year deal. Twenty players appeared in at least five games against Dallas, and 17 of them returned for training camp.

“I think that one, even still thinking about it, stings in a way,” Logan O’Connor said. “We felt as though we had a team that had an opportunity to go on a pretty good run. We came up short of the goal in a Game 7 in a series we felt could have gone either way. For me personally, you really think about it for a couple weeks, but then it honestly lingers until the next season starts.

“I think losing that way with the group, and we had a very similar group coming back this year, it just bonds a group together, failing in that way, as hard it was. You use it as motivation through this run, knowing that these opportunities don’t come around every year. Have the team management has assembled, it’s on us to go do the job now.”

Multiple players pointed to MacKinnon as the guy who has helped put that stunning Game 7 loss into the best perspective.

“It definitely stung,” Avs captain Gabe Landeskog. “Hard to put a time limit on it. Whenever you lose in the playoffs and they’re still going on, it’s always a little bitter. For at least one round, I just have zero interest in it. You’re just pissed off.

“Nate has said it numerous times, about losing can bring the group closer together and actually can be a good thing for your group if you take it the right way. I think it meant a lot. It was something like, you don’t come into training camp ruminating over something that happened four months ago, but you definitely keep it with you, for sure.”

The Avs certainly arrived in training camp as a focused, re-committed group. Colorado reeled off a 31-2-7 start to the season, which allowed the Avs to be the NHL’s pacesetter.

Even with some injuries and a bit of a lull in the dog days, no one caught them. Winning the Central Division and earning the top seed in the Western Conference — something this group zeroed in on in large part because of that painful night in North Texas — has already paid clear dividends.

Now, the Avs face the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final. There’s a parallel to be drawn here.

Colorado’s six-game defeat by Vegas during the 2021 playoffs — after the Avs won the first two games, right when this group thought it was about to arrive — left a similar bitter taste in their mouths. That series loss hurt. It lingered.

It provided some added motivation the following year, when Colorado stormed to the Stanley Cup. Now, this group is four wins away from the Cup Final, again.

“No question, it (had affect on this season),” Avs coach Jared Bednar said of Game 7 in Dallas. “I had the same feeling in 2021. The disappointment and the heartbreak kind of sets you for the next season. There’s a lot of similarities with the way we came into camp, the focus of the group, the consistency we played with all year. We knew there were some important milestones that could help us come playoff time. No guarantee, but I think we did a good job of focusing on those short-term goals and some longer-term goals from the regular season that has helped us through the playoffs.

“The messaging was the same. Everything that we were going to do was going to be in preparation for the playoffs. It’s always like that, but I think the buy-in from our guys both in 2022 and this year — it’s at a different level, because they know what the stakes are.”

Is it the GM who did the most this season to affect his club’s performance? Or is it the work he’s done over the past few seasons to set his team up for success this year?

Colorado Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland made it easy on the voters this year. He should be the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year, regardless of which way they interpret it.

No GM in the NHL has done more over the past two seasons to improve his club. No GM increased the chances of his outfit lifting the Stanley Cup since July 1, which is the start of the NHL’s 2025-26 calendar year.

When the Avalanche welcome the Vegas Golden Knights to Ball Arena for Game 1 of the Western Conference Final, Colorado will be the favorite to win the Stanley Cup. It is likely that 10 of the 20 players who dress for that game were not part of the organization two seasons ago, when the Avs reached the second round of the playoffs.

Building ‘The Lumberyard’

MacFarland’s retool on the fly, for a team that felt it was a Cup contender the day Valeri Nichushkin was suspended in that second round, effectively ending the season, until now, while the Avs continued to win big, is nothing short of remarkable.

It started with the goaltending, of course. Colorado had the league’s worst save percentage the day MacFarland sent Justus Annunen and a sixth-round pick to Nashville for Scott Wedgewood, then flipped Alexandar Georgiev, Nikolai Kovalenko and two picks to San Jose for Mackenzie Blackwood.

“The Lumberyard” allowed the fewest goals in the NHL this year, earning the William Jennings Trophy, for a combined price of $6.75 million. There are 10 goalies who make more than both combined.

Winning the Rantanen trade

The defining move was obviously sending Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes for Martin Necas, Jack Drury, two draft picks and the promise of building a deeper team. Even if someone disagreed with trading Rantanen at the time, that deal — and the subsequent moves the Avs have made while Necas counts $6.5 million against the cap this year when Rantanen would have cost at least $5 million more — looks emphatically strong for Colorado this season.

Necas found a new level during the regular season and has been an impact guy in the playoffs. Drury is anchoring arguably the best fourth line in the NHL. Necas and Brock Nelson at nearly the same cost as Rantanen and a league-minimum guy have been a huge win.

Flexibility pays off

Every major transaction MacFarland has made this season has worked out for the Avs, helping them reach the second half of the NHL’s postseason for the first time since 2022. Technically, signing Nelson to a three-year contract and the trade that sent Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood to Columbus for Gavin Brindley, a draft pick, and cap relief happened before July 1, but they were in service of the 2025-26 team.

That space allowed the Avs to sign Brent Burns to a contract with a $1 million base salary plus incentives. The flexibility allowed Colorado to add Brett Kulak, Nicolas Roy and Nazem Kadri before the trade deadline.

Burns and Kulak were critical against the Minnesota Wild, particularly when either Josh Manson or Sam Malinski was missing in every game, and when Cale Makar was clearly not at 100% by the end of the series.

Roy and Kardi have helped buttress an already loaded forward corps to the point that Colorado went 2-0 without Malinski and Arrturi Lehkonen, one of the great all-around playoff glue guys in the league. Roy and Kadri have six points each in this postseason — they are the co-leaders among forwards who were added before the deadline.

“It’s massive. That’s what you need,” Manson said of the club’s depth. “Our management has done a great job in bringing in players that we can all trust on the ice in all situations. That’s what you get. That’s what it takes to win.”

Wild GM Bill Guerin swung the biggest trade of the season, landing Quinn Hughes from Vancouver. But MacFarland outflanked him and three-time GM of the year winner Jim Nill in Dallas at the deadline. Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek has done a great job surrounding a talented young core with veteran players.

The votes are already in and second-round results don’t matter, but MacFarland was the correct choice before that, anyway. The job of the GM is always to keep one eye on the present and one on the future.

Well, MacFarland has signed four players to contracts that don’t start until next season since July 1. Wedgewood, the NHL’s leader in goals against average and save percentage, is inked for $2.5 million.

Malinski, one of the breakout players at his position in the NHL this year, is locked in at $4.75 million. Parker Kelly, a completely under-the-radar addition two offseasons ago, just scored 21 goals and is signed for $1.7 million.

Then there is Necas, who just racked up 38 goals and 100 points, and now has 11 points in nine playoff games. He is signed for $11.5 million.

This whole era of Avalanche hockey was teetering a bit after a sluggish start to the 2024-25 season. Gabe Landeskog was an unknown. Nichushkin’s future felt like an unknown. The goaltending was a mess.

The core was still world-class, but it needed help. MacFarland delivered. The city might celebrate another Stanley Cup championship in about a month as a result.

He built the NHL’s team of the season on the fly. He deserves to be the NHL’s GM of the year.

Makar Macouldn’t.

No. 8’s shifts became as labored as Homer Simpson running up five flights of stairs. Cale Makar, the Avalanche’s star defenseman, didn’t even come out to the bench at the start of Game 5’s epic overtime finish. At one point, All Hail Cale a wince you felt from a distance, pain even national TV cameras couldn’t hide.

How do you know when it’s your year? When it’s your Stanley Cup? While the best D-man on planet Earth could barely hold a stick, Brett Kulak sticks it to The Wall of St. Paul.

“You always like to dream about it, but like you say, the player I am, I’m not the guy everyone’s looking down the bench at, like, ‘All right, get out there and go win it for us,'” said Kulak, the hard-charging but soft-spoken D-man whose fourth career postseason goal — in 107 playoff games — was his biggest, an overtime winner that sent Colorado to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2022.

“No, it’s been good. It was a tough series. That’s a good (Minnesota) team over there. So for us to play the way we did and get the job done — and then, just for me, (it was) a special goal in my career, for sure.”

A gorgeous one, too. A rocket launched from the right face-off dot, set up by a whirling Martin Necas, who’d jumped onto the ice when he realized the Avs were a man short.

“I just saw (that) we’re coming back in our zone. And, you know, we had four guys, so I was like, ‘Might as well jump there, you know? I don’t care,'” Necas recalled later when asked about his second helper Wednesday. “So yeah, it worked out … great play by (Parker Kelly), banging it to me, and then I just did whatever I saw.”

He went around Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt’s net, came out the other side, and saw Kulak in the face-off circle.

“We built on momentum from the third (period), carried (that) into OT,” Kulak said. “And just for me personally, Marty carried it up, (got) his wheels going around the O-Zone, and I just kind of was able to slide into an open spot in the weak side of the ice, and credit to him. (He had) good vision and put it right in the perfect spot for me to get a good shot.”

And even sweeter redemption. Earlier in the evening, for the second Minnesota goal of the night with 8:57 left in the opening period. Colorado stared at a 3-0 deficit after the first intermission. It was Game 3’s dumpster fire, compressed into 20 minutes of offal.

“Yeah, I mean, you get buried a couple goals (down) in the first, and they’re all over it,” Kulak said of the Avs’ crummy start. “You’ve got no time and space, and you feel like it’s going to be a long night.

“(So you) just kind of chip away, one shift at a time, and you start to get the momentum, and things start to shift.”

Trailing 3-0, a defense that had half a Makar or no Sam Malinski at all somehow held the Wild to seven shots over the final 44 minutes.

“(That’s) huge, yeah,” said coach Jared Bednar, whose team improved to 8-1 through its first two playoff series of 2026. “I mean, you can’t understate that.

“When you look at (Brent) Burns’ series, I mean, because you’re without (Josh) Manson early. (Manson) comes back, you’re without (Sam) Malinski, you’ve got Cale fighting through stuff. I mean, there’s only six (defensemen), right? And guys need to step up. We were four guys rolling on the bench … I think Burns’ (Minnesota) series was incredible, and obviously Kulak’s was the same.”

“So how is Cale feeling?” I asked.

Bednar paused.

“Cale is OK,” the coach replied.

He sure didn’t look it late. Especially after Makar and Minnesota’s Mats Zuccarello had collided behind the net in the third period. The Avs’ star defender quickly grimaced, dropped his stick and appeared to grab his right shoulder in agony. Then he headed to the tunnel. Gingerly.

“It’s not just one guy who steps in and takes over the minutes,” said Kulak, now tied for second this postseason among Avs defenders in points (five) while ranking third in ice time per game (20:48). “I think everyone has to chip in, and the whole team has to just play solid hockey.”

“Was that your first (goal)?” MacKinnon asked Kulak during their news conference.

“Yeah,” the defenseman replied.

“So another guy,” MacKinnon said with an almost bubbly grin. “I mean, that’s a great stat. You know, that’s the stat you want to see — team stats and, you know, everyone’s chipping in.”

How’s this for chipping in? Kulak is just the seventh guy in NHL history to have his first goal for a new club be a series-ender in the postseason. He’s also the 16th different Avs player to score this series, tying an NHL record.

“I love it, I love it,” Bednar said of scoring depth that overwhelmed a Minnesota roster without Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin. “That’s hard to beat.

“When you have different guys stepping up every night, you can’t key on one guy. There’s no sort of coming in to play our team and (saying) like, ‘Well, if we shut down the (Nathan) MacKinnon line, we’re going to win.'”

These Avs can beat you with speed, with size, with strength, with cunning, with defense, with goaltending, by land, by air, or by sea. General manager Chris MacFarland’s trade deadline additions — Nicolas Roy, Nazem Kadri, Nick Blankenburg — loom larger by the week, letter-perfect finishing touches to a core of Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Necas, Gabriel Landeskog and The Lumberyard between the pipes.

And there’s Kulak, who came over from Pittsburgh in the Sam Girard swap, now only the third guy in NHL annals to play with MacKinnon, Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby. The 32-year-old’s last two postseasons ended in the Stanley Cup Final with the Edmonton Oilers. Dude knows what this is supposed to look like. What it’s supposed to feel like.

“I think at (this) point, it just becomes a group effort throughout everybody that’s going,” Kulak said. “I mean, Cale is battling out there. He’s playing really well, and it (stinks) having Sammy (Malinski) out. He’s a big piece of the team, too. So when guys are coming and going, and you’re missing a couple bodies here and there, other guys just step up and fill the void.”

Makar somehow logged 25 minutes Wednesday night while being held together by duct tape and piano wire. Manson toughed it out through 19:19. Burns, who was born in 1985 but wears a beard from 1885, put in 19:47 of ice time. In May and June, it doesn’t matter who carries the flag, just so long as that bad boy, however tattered, gets over the line.

Nathan MacKinnon wristed home the game-tying goal with 1:23 left in the third period of Game 5 against the Wild on Wednesday, to the slimmest of windows on the top left shelf to beat Minnesota goalie Jesper Wallstedt.

The score, which came in a six-on-five in an extended shift for Colorado’s top line with Avs goalie Scott Wedgewood pulled, completed Colorado’s comeback from a 3-0 deficit. It forced overtime in the Avs’ 4-3 victory that was capped by Brett Kulak’s game-winning goal in the series-clincher to send Colorado to the Western Conference Final.

“I was exhausted to say the least,” Landeskog said of his reaction to MacKinnon’s goal. “Just such a special player, making a special shot, at such a clutch moment.”

MacKinnon’s shot also left forward Parker Kelly, who was watching from the bench, in disbelief.

“Unbelievable,” Kelly said. “I mean, it didn’t really look like there was much (space) there… and you just see it kind of hit the top of the net. Just, what a shot. Elite player, big-time player, gamer — that¶¶Òõap why they call him the Dogg, man. He shows up in those big moments. And we’re super fortunate to have him.”

MacKinnon got the puck in the left faceoff circle off a feed from Martin Necas, and the generational center had plenty of time to decide what to do with it. Wild defenseman Jake Middleton went down to the ice in front of MacKinnon to attempt to block a low shot, just before MacKinnon lasered the puck to the slimmest of spaces above Wallstedt’s right shoulder.

“I just saw a little daylight and I just threw it there,” MacKinnon said. “It doesn’t always go where you want it to. I’m happy it did then.”

MacKinnon’s seventh goal of the playoffs left Wild head coach John Hynes metaphorically shrugging his shoulders at the precision of a player who led the NHL with 53 goals in the regular season.

“It was a shot outside the dots from a bad angle,” Hynes said. “It was a heck of a shot by an unbelievable player. When you look at where it goes in, he had a pinpoint shot. (The Avs) had a net front, a bumper player, a backside player. We had all those areas covered, and MacKinnon made a heck of a shot.”

Landeskog said that at the time of MacKinnon’s goal, the Avs weren’t thinking about time ticking away toward a looming return trip to Minnesota for Game 6.

“(Our mindset was) just go,” Landeskog said. “We had a plan, six-on-five. Obviously, we were able to get some momentum (with Jack Drury’s goal a couple minutes earlier). We know those guys (for Minnesota) had been in for a little bit. They’ve been playing a lot all series. So we were able to find a way to get the puck in Nate’s hands.”

MacKinnon said the energy in the arena after his goal was a memorable moment in his career. And after he lit the lamp, the Avs were playing with house money heading into overtime, a flip of the script after Landeskog admitted the Avs were “shell-shocked” by the Wild taking a 3-0 lead in the first period. That early stumble resulted in head coach Jared Bednar pulling Mackenzie Blackwood from the net in favor of Wedgewood.

“I could definitely feel (the energy), and hear it,” MacKinnon said. “… It was a really cool moment. And obviously coming back from 3-0, we felt good going to overtime.”

With Wednesday’s third-period goal, MacKinnon has now scored in six straight games, the second-longest playoff streak Valeri Nichushkin (2024), Claude Lemieux  (1997) and Joe Sakic (1996) are all tied for the record with seven straight. ]]> 7757660 2026-05-13T23:02:25+00:00 2026-05-14T06:16:43+00:00