Wild lose 5-2 to Avalanche in Game 2 of Semifinals, Avs lead series 2-0
John Hynes reacts after Wild eliminate Stars from Stanley Cup Playoffs
Minnesota Wild coach John Hynes spoke with reporters after Thursday night's 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars to advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2015.
(FOX 9) - The Minnesota Wild’s Stanley Cup chase got a little tougher on Tuesday night, as they saw the Colorado Avalanche take a 2-0 series lead after a 5-2 loss.
Minnesota Wild score
What we know:
After a previous game that saw a combined 15 goals between both teams, Game 2 got off to a rocky start after the Wild found themselves down 2-1 after the first period, with the Avs scoring first just 2:51 into the game.
However, the Wild quickly countered only six seconds later with a goal by Kirill Kaprizov to tie the score 1-1.
But they saw the score widen in the second, with the Avs scoring 1:24 into the period, giving Colorado a 3-1 lead that they never gave back.
Nathan MacKinnon scored once more 13:18 into the final period, and the Wild's Marcus Johansson countered at 14:33, but it was too much, as the Avs maintained a comfortable 5-2 win.
Wild starts Filip Gustavsson in net
Why you should care:
For the first time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Wild is started Filip Gustavsson in net instead of Jesper Wallsted. The Wild gave up eight goals in Game 1, but Wallstedt was left on an island in several of them. Wallstedt had started seven straight playoff games.
Gustavsson went 28-15-6 in 50 starts this season, and had six shutouts. He had a .904 save percentage, and a 2.69 goals against average.
Avalanche take series lead
The backstory:
The Wild previously lost to the Avs by a score of 9-6 on Sunday night in Denver.
The Wild got down 3-0 in the first period, then grabbed a 5-4 lead in the second before the Avalanche pulled away with four third period goals.
The Wild needs a win Tuesday night to avoid coming home for Game 3 down 0-2 in the best-of-seven series.
Big picture view:
The Wild and Avalanche split their regular season series, 2-2, with each team winning one game in a shootout on their home ice.
Colorado was the best regular season team in the NHL this year, with 55 wins and 121 total points.
The Wild finished third in the West with 104 points, behind the Dallas Stars – who they beat in the first round of the playoffs.