With a 3-1 series lead and a perfect home record in the playoffs, the Avalanche return to Ball Arena looking to close out the Wild in Game 5 — knowing the final win is always the hardest to earn.
The Colorado Avalanche return home with a chance to end the series on their own ice, but they know the hardest win is often the final one.
The Avalanche carry a 3-1 lead into Game 5 of their Western Conference Second Round matchup against the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday at Ball Arena (HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC), sitting one victory away from punching their ticket to the conference final. A convincing 5-2 win in Game 4 on Monday in Minnesota flipped momentum firmly back in Colorado’s direction after a shaky Game 3 loss, and now the series shifts back to Denver where the Avalanche have been nearly untouchable.
Colorado is a perfect 4-0 at home this postseason, having already used Ball Arena as a launchpad through both the first round against the Los Angeles Kings and the opening two games of this series. The building has become both a cushion and a weapon — and now it may be the final separator.
“We feel as though our game plan last night and how we played is super repeatable,” forward Logan O’Connor told NHL.com. “Especially when you come home, the ability to feed off our fans, which have been amazing all year for us, have the last change, quick reset here with the day off today and try to get back after it tomorrow.
“The main message is the urgency, the competitiveness, the game plan, the structure are all repeatable for our group.”
Home Ice, Home Identity
That sense of control, however, comes with a warning label. As Brett Kulak noted, closing out a team is rarely as clean as it looks on paper. The Wild, now facing elimination, are expected to play their most desperate hockey of the series — the kind that can flip a game in a single shift if a favorite isn’t sharp from the opening puck drop.
“It’s hard to close teams out; they get desperate,” Kulak told NHL's Tracey Myers. “It’s do-or-die now for them. They know what’s at stake. You’re going to expect their best.”
For Colorado, the challenge is less about reinvention and more about discipline — matching urgency without getting dragged into chaos. Game 4 showed what happens when they dictate pace; Game 3 was a reminder of what happens when they don’t.
The Avalanche will also be watching the status of two key lineup pieces. Artturi Lehkonen and Sam Malinski were late scratches in Game 4 after suffering upper-body injuries the game prior, leaving coach Jared Bednar with uncertainty heading into a potential closeout night. Both remain day-to-day.
A Brewing Physical Edge
There is also a quieter subplot developing within the series. The tension between Josh Manson and Michael McCarron has carried over into Game 5 after a scrappy exchange along the boards in their previous matchup, a sequence that resulted in Manson being fined $5,000 for what was deemed an inadvertent butt-end, with McCarron drawing attention to the play through an exaggerated reaction that helped escalate the call.
With emotions tightening as Minnesota faces elimination, it would not be surprising if McCarron looks to revisit that matchup early — either through physical engagement or by attempting to bait Manson into a retaliation penalty that could tilt momentum in the Wild’s favor.
For the Avalanche, the message remains simple: don’t take the bait, don’t chase the noise — just finish the job.
