Avalanche bounce back to beat the Wild 5-2 and take a 3-1 lead in the series

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Colorado Avalanche center Parker Kelly, center, celebrates after scoring during the third period of Game 4 in a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Minnesota Wild, Monday, May 11, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri (91) celebrates with defenseman Cale Makar (8) after scoring a goal during the second period of Game 4 in an NHL Stanley Cup hockey second-round playoff series against the Minnesota Wild Monday, May 11, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) — Colorado Avalanche center Parker Kelly, center, celebrates after scoring during the third period of Game 4 in a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Minnesota Wild, Monday, May 11, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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11:14 PM on Monday, May 11

By DAVE CAMPBELL

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Ross Colton and Parker Kelly each scored in the third period for Colorado, an opportune time for their first goals of the postseason as the high-scoring Avalanche snapped back from a mid-series lull and beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 in Game 4 on Monday night to take a 3-1 lead in the second round of the NHL playoffs.

Mackenzie Blackwood made 19 saves in his first start this postseason after relieving Scott Wedgewood during a 5-1 loss in Game 3 on Saturday, and the Avalanche moved within one win of taking the first spot in the Western Conference finals. Game 5 will be in Denver on Wednesday.

Nazem Kadri scored on a power play in the second period, and Nathan MacKinnon — who had a brief absence to fix a bloody nose from a puck to the face — and Brock Nelson added empty-net goals in the final minute.

Nico Sturm tied the game at 2 for Minnesota with his first goal of the postseason about two minutes after Colton put the Avalanche up by 1. The Wild were outshot 20-5 over roughly the first half of the game by an energized Colorado offense.

After leading the NHL in goals during the regular season while posting the league's best record, the Avalanche scored 14 times over the first two games before Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt stonewalled them in Game 3.

Colton and Kelly became the 15th and 16th players to score for the Avalanche in just eight postseason games this spring.

Rookie Danila Yurov scored his first career postseason goal on a deflection midway through the first period for the Wild during a four-minute power play prompted by a double minor penalty on defenseman Josh Manson.

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl