The second-round playoff series between the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild will be action-packed. But which team has the better netminding tandem? And could that supremacy between the pipes lead to a series win?
There are a slew of intriguing angles in the upcoming second-round playoff series between the Colorado Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild.
For instance, you’re talking about the two best defensemen in the game – Quinn Hughes of the Wild, and Cale Makar of the Avalanche – squaring off. You’re also talking about two of the sport’s premier goal-scorers – the Avs’ Nathan MacKinnon and the Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov – going head-to-head.
However, the Avalanche-Wild series could come down to goaltending. Colorado and Minnesota should feel comfortable going into the second round with the type of netminding depth that few teams can boast of, but which team has the advantage in net?
You have to acknowledge that the Avalanche have had stellar goaltending this season. Colorado’s Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood have had long stretches of regular-season success: Blackwood had a .904 SP in 39 appearances, while Wedgewood had a .921 save percentage in 45 appearances.
In the Avs’ first-round sweep of the Los Angeles Kings, Wedgewood was dominant, allowing only five goals along with a dazzling .950 SP. Wedgewood is playing behind a deep, skilled Avalanche team, but he’s doing his part to win games. That’s all you should be asking of a goalie at this point in the year.
That said, you can make a strong case that the Wild have the advantage in net in this series. Rookie phenom Jesper Wallstedt posted a terrific .916 SP in 35 regular-season appearances, and in Minnesota’s first-round win over the Dallas Stars, Wallstedt had a .924 SP. Wallstedt has the highest competitive ceiling of any goalie in the Avalanche-Wild series, and he’s showing why people have such high expectations for him.
The Wild have a great second option in Filip Gustavsson, who had a .904 SP in 50 regular-season appearances. Had Wallstedt not been so dynamic against the Stars, Gustavsson would’ve been a solid choice to step up and give Minnesota the strength they needed in the game’s most crucial position.
So, while it’s accurate to say both the Avalanche and the Wild will have great goaltending insurance in Blackwood and Gustavsson, respectively, we’d have to give a slight edge to Minnesota having the better goaltending heading into this series.
Wallstedt and Gustavsson both can impact games with their calming influence. Although the same has been true for Wedgewood and Blackwood, one of them will be going up against a powerful Wild offensive attack. So if Blackwood comes into action, it will mean one of two things – either Wedgewood is hurt, or Minnesota’s offense has picked Wedgewood apart and forced Wedgewood out of his crease.
But if the converse happens and it’s Colorado’s attack that sends Wallstedt reeling and onto the bench, Gustavsson can still come in relief and give the Wild the goaltending they need to emerge victorious against the Avs.
We ultimately trust Minnesota’s tandem to prevail if the going gets tough.
So if the series does come down to goaltending, don’t be surprised if Minnesota squeezes past the Avalanche and into the Western Conference final. Whether it’s Wallstedt or Gustavsson in the net, the Wild will have the defensive backbone teams need to eliminate powerful opponents.
Minnesota doesn’t need its goalies to put the team on their backs and carry them to victory, but Wallstedt or Gustavsson can more than hold their own in high-stakes games. That’s all the Wild may need to send an Avalanche team that’s the odds-on favorite to win the Stanley Cup.
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