DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche recovered from blowing an early three-goal lead to defeat the Minnesota Wild 9-6 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round on Sunday at Ball Arena. Cale Makar scored twice in the third period and added an assist in a strong comeback performance.
Devon Toews recorded a goal and three assists, while Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and two assists. Sam Malinski and Artturi Lehkonen each contributed a goal and an assist for the top-seeded Avalanche. Martin Necas added three assists, and Scott Wedgewood made 30 saves in net.
Makar left briefly in the first period after a hit but returned to play a key role. “You got to give him a lot of credit,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “He played great and makes a couple of huge plays.”
The Wild mounted a strong response with goals from Quinn Hughes, Ryan Hartman, Mats Zuccarello, and others. Jesper Wallstedt stopped 34 shots for Minnesota. Despite the loss, the Wild showed fight in a back-and-forth contest.
Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday night in Denver. Both teams will look to tighten their defensive play after a wild, high-scoring opener that featured plenty of offensive contributions from both sides.
This victory gives the Avalanche an early series lead as they aim to advance deeper into the playoffs.