Preview: Game 5 of Colorado vs. Minnesota Series — Avalanche One Win Away from NHL Semifinals
Colorado leads the series 3-1 and can close it out at home on the night of May 13.
Main Event
On the night of May 13–14, 2026, Game 5 of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Colorado Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild will take place at Ball Arena in Denver. The Avalanche hold a 3-1 series lead and are one win away from advancing to the Western Conference Final. For Minnesota, this game is the first of three must-win contests — any loss ends their season. The puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 PM ET (3:00 AM Moscow time on May 14).
Bookmakers see the home team as clear favorites: the moneyline for Colorado is -205, while Minnesota's win is priced at +169. The over/under is set at 6.5 goals. This reflects not only the Avalanche's series dominance but also their status as the highest-scoring team in the regular season — Colorado scored 298 goals in 82 games, leading the NHL in average goals per game (3.6).
Details and Statistics
Game 4 of the series, played on May 11 in St. Paul, showcased Colorado's resilience. After a tough 5-1 loss in Game 3, where Minnesota goaltender Jesper Wallstedt single-handedly shut down the Avalanche's offense, the Denver team came back a completely different squad.
In Game 4, Colorado secured a confident 5-2 victory. The heroes were Ross Colton and Parker Kelly — both forwards scored their first goals of the playoffs in the third period, when mistakes are most costly. Nazem Kadri scored on the power play in the second period, while Nathan MacKinnon and Brock Nelson added empty-net goals in the final minute.
Colorado's coaching staff made a key adjustment by changing goaltenders: after Scott Wedgewood's poor performance in Game 3, Mackenzie Blackwood started and stopped 19 shots. It was his first start of the playoffs, and he fully justified the trust.
The Avalanche's leaders continue to dominate. Nathan MacKinnon, who recorded 127 points (53 goals, 74 assists) in the regular season, has 15 points (8 goals, 7 assists) in eight games against Minnesota this season. Martin Necas, who added 99 points in the regular season, has also been consistent against the Wild with 10 points in eight meetings. Over their last ten games, Colorado has won nine, averaging 3.8 goals scored and just 2.0 goals allowed per game.
Minnesota's situation is complicated by significant roster issues. The team will play a second straight game without two key Swedish players — forward Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Jonas Brodin. Both are recovering from lower-body injuries and did not travel with the team to Denver. For the 29-year-old Eriksson Ek, this will be his fifth consecutive missed game. In this postseason, he had 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist) in 6 games with a plus-7 rating. The 32-year-old Brodin will miss his sixth straight game. These losses significantly weaken the Wild's defensive structure and remove important offensive options.
Context and Significance
Historical statistics overwhelmingly favor the team leading a series 3-1. In NHL history, teams in that situation have won the series 91% of the time (324 wins vs. 32 losses). However, Minnesota has special reason for hope: the Wild are responsible for two of those 32 unique comebacks, both occurring in 2003 in back-to-back series when the team made its only Western Conference Final appearance.
Before flying to Denver, Minnesota players and coach spoke about taking it one step at a time. Marcus Foligno, Brock Faber, and head coach John Hynes acknowledged they have no choice but to win three straight, starting with Game 5. If Minnesota wins, the series returns to St. Paul for Game 6 on Friday. If tied 3-3, Game 7 would be back in Denver on Sunday.
Notably, the teams' scoring totals reflect the offensive gap: after four games, the aggregate score is 20-13 in favor of Colorado. In the first two games in Denver, the Avalanche scored 14 goals (9-6 and 5-2), forcing Minnesota's coaching staff to overhaul their defensive approach. Game 3's plan worked brilliantly (5-1), but Colorado found countermeasures in Game 4.
What's Next / Preview of the Next Game
Game 5 is a moment of truth for Minnesota. On the brink of elimination, they must balance necessary offensive aggression with defensive caution, as every mistake could be fatal. For Colorado, the key is to prevent the opponent from believing in a comeback by starting aggressively and leveraging home-ice advantage.
The game will be broadcast on TNT and streaming on HBO Max. The winner of this series will be the first Western Conference finalist, gaining extra rest and preparation time — a crucial factor in the grueling Stanley Cup marathon.
Meanwhile, in the other Western Conference series, the Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights are tied 2-2 after four games, with their Game 5 also taking place around the same time. This means Colorado's potential conference final opponent is still undecided, and every extra game in that series benefits the team that closes out its own series first.
If Colorado wins Game 5, they advance to the conference final to face the winner of Vegas vs. Anaheim. If Minnesota extends the series, Game 6 will be in St. Paul on Friday, with a potential Game 7 back in Denver on Sunday. For the Wild, this is a historic chance to repeat a feat from 23 years ago and become only the 33rd team in NHL history to rally from a 3-1 series deficit.
— Editorial Team
