The Minnesota Wild will play the Colorado Avalanche in Game One of the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight, according to a May 2 announcement. The game will take place at Ball Arena in Denver, with the Avalanche holding home-ice advantage.
This matchup marks the first time since 2015 that Minnesota has advanced to the Second Round. The Wild are facing challenges with defenseman Jonas Brodin missing due to a lower-body injury and forward Joel Eriksson Ek listed as questionable after an incident in Game Six against Dallas.
Minnesota finished their First Round series with a record of four wins and two losses, while Colorado swept their opening series four games to none. In regular season matchups this year, Minnesota went 2-1-1 against Colorado. Key contributors for Minnesota included Kirill Kaprizov, who led his team with six points over those games, and Matt Boldy who added four points. Goaltender Jesper Wallstedt recorded one win and one loss with a .925 save percentage across three starts.
On Colorado’s side, Nathan MacKinnon led all scorers in head-to-head meetings this season with seven points. Cale Makar and Gabriel Landeskog each contributed four points during those contests. The Avalanche’s goaltenders Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood both posted strong performances during their respective starts.
Historically, these teams have been evenly matched in postseason play, each earning ten wins against each other across previous playoff meetings. Notably, Minnesota defeated Colorado in seven-game series during both the 2003 and 2014 playoffs but lost to them in six games during the First Round of 2008.
Looking ahead, both teams bring experienced players into tonight’s contest as they compete for a spot in the next round of the playoffs.
