Round Two begins this weekend.
Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round between the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche is set for 7 p.m. MT on Sunday, May 3, at Ball Arena in Denver.
The matchup will air nationally in the United States on TNT, truTV and HBO Max, while Canadian viewers can watch on Sportsnet, SN360, CBC and TVA Sports.
Minnesota earned its place in the second round by taking down the Dallas Stars in six games, closing out the series with a 5-2 win in Game 6. The Wild leaned on their top-end skill and pace throughout the series, with Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy driving much of the offense, while rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt handled the pressure well for a young player in his first postseason run.
Colorado, meanwhile, arrives rested and confident after sweeping the Los Angeles Kings in four straight games. It wasn’t just the results that stood out, but the control. The Avalanche allowed only five total goals in the series, rarely letting Los Angeles find any sustained rhythm. When the Kings did push, Colorado’s structure and goaltending closed the door quickly, allowing the Avalanche to dictate tempo almost every night.
Offensively, Colorado hasn’t been a one-man show in the playoffs—it’s been more of a steady rotation of contributors finding their moments. Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, and Artturi Lehkonen are all tied for the team lead with four points through four games, and each has done it in a different way. MacKinnon has driven play and created pressure every shift, Landeskog has been finishing around the net while setting a physical tone, and Lehkonen has quietly shown up in the right spots at the right time.
Behind them, the support hasn’t faded. Nicolas Roy, Devon Toews, and Martin Necas each have three points, helping keep Colorado’s attack from ever feeling predictable. Even when the top line isn’t directly involved, the Avalanche still manage to generate chances through movement, speed, and layered pressure.
Then there’s Cale Makar, who only has two points so far but feels far more involved than that suggests. He’s still the engine on the back end—jumping into rushes, controlling entries, and stretching defenses in ways that don’t always show up in the box score. Brock Nelson and Logan O’Connor have each chipped in a goal, while depth pieces like Josh Manson, Brent Burns, Valeri Nichushkin, and others have filled their roles without needing the spotlight, just keeping Colorado’s game stable and hard to play against.
It hasn’t been flashy or chaotic—it’s been controlled, disciplined hockey. And sometimes that’s exactly what wins in the playoffs. Like in boxing, not every fight is going to be a barnburner, and not every NHL playoff series turns into overtime chaos and highlight-reel madness. This one feels more like a tactical, structured series coming up against Minnesota—where patience and discipline might matter just as much as firepower.
