Wild, Avalanche have played different styles each game of Round 2

DENVER — If the first batch of Round 2 playoff games have taught fans anything in 2026, it’s that they should be prepared for anything, even if it bears no resemblance to what they saw from the same teams two nights earlier.

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Such has been the case for the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche through their first quartet of playoff meetings this season, where despite the fact that it has been essentially the same rosters matching up, the character of each game has differed widely.

Fans have seen a high-scoring track meet and a tight-checking goalie battle. Watched Colorado pounce early and lead wire to wire, to a game dominated by the Wild from the opening faceoff. Fans saw the Avalanche have their way with Minnesota’s special teams and dramatic statistical improvements from the Wild on both the kill and mana advantage.

“I guess you could say that’s kind of what playoffs are,” Wild defenseman Jake Middleton said after the team’s morning skate at Ball Arena on Wednesday. “Especially this one. Two juggernaut teams kind of feeling each other out throughout these first few games, and we know what we’ve got to do to move forward.”

On the way to grabbing a 3-1 series lead ahead of Wednesday’s Game 5, the Avalanche won three close contests. Take away the empty-net goals from both teams, and Colorado has won twice by two goals and once by one. By the same standard, the only lopsided score in the series was a 5-1 win by the Wild in Game 3, and one of those was an empty-netter as well.

Still, when facing the same team repeatedly, one might expect familiar patterns. And the Wild have found that adjusting to what each night throws at them is necessary to keep their season alive.

“As series go on, there’s … an understanding (of) some of the things that they did really well that they didn’t do as well, or maybe a little differently last game. So, coming into this game, you’re prepared for that,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “It’s the same thing for us, and things we have to get to that we didn’t get to the right way. And usually as a series goes on, you just continue to see those tweaks and every game presents a different challenge.”

Wild forward Nico Sturm, who has been through 16-win postseasons with Colorado in 2022 and with Florida last season, said the best teams are the ones that can play and win different ways night to night.

“It probably just shows what both teams are capable of, to be honest with you,” he said. “Both teams are able and capable of playing different styles depending on how the night goes, or who they are playing against. I would say that’s probably the biggest takeaway from this series.”

Briefly

New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the top overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, was announced as the league’s rookie of the year on Wednesday, getting all 198 first place votes cast by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt finished sixth, one place behind former Gophers standout Jimmy Snuggerud — now with the St. Louis Blues — who was fifth. Kirill Kaprizov, in 2021, was the only Wild player to win rookie of the year. Brock Faber was runner-up to Chicago forward Connor Bedard for the award in 2024.

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