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Mikael Granlund’s first-career playoff-goal lifted the Minnesota Wild to a 1-0 overtime win, over the Colorado Avalanche.
The victory, in Game Three, was important for Minnesota as they trailed 2-0 in the series.
Granlund’s goal came on Minnesota’s 46th shot of the game. It was the game’s only goal.
This is how you score a game-winning goal in OT in the playoffs. #mnwild pic.twitter.com/oMDkf6XVzJ
— Seth Kaplan đź“ş (@Seth_Kaplan) April 22, 2014
The goal sent the crowd at Xcel Energy Center into a frenzy.
Jumping! #mnwild Hear from the winners at 10. https://t.co/BHEcxFyxYd
— Eric Perkins (@PerkatPlay) April 22, 2014
Despite dramatically controlling the game, the Wild were not able to get on the scoreboard in regulation. Minnesota outshot Colorado 44-20 through regulation. Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov was on his game making stop after stop, to keep Colorado in the game.
Darcy Kuemper also played admirably for Minnesota. He stopped all 22 shots he faced, for the first playoff win in his young career.
3 periods in the books…#mnwild & #avs tied 0-0.
This is the 2nd Wild playoff gm to go to OT tied at 0-0 (lost to ANA in 2003 1-0 in 2 OT)
— Keith Leventhal (@KeithLeventhal) April 22, 2014
Early on, Varlamov kept the game scoreless despite getting peppered in net. Minnesota set a franchise playoff record for shots in a period, just missing the franchise record for shots in any period.
.@mnwild take 22 shots in the 1st.
That's a new franchise playoff record & is 1 short of the team record for shots in any period. #mnwild
— Keith Leventhal (@KeithLeventhal) April 21, 2014
It stayed scoreless through the second period, though things were quite a bit more even, namely because of three Wild penalties that created power-play opportunities for the Avalanche. The Wild killed off the penalties to head into the third scoreless.
Minnesota’s penalty kill was a big key, the Avalanche were 0/4 on the power-play.
The Wild had plenty of offensive chances, only inches separated the Wild from dominating the game on the scoreboard too.
Charlie Coyle had a shot clank off the pipe in the first period. Coyle also got handcuffed by a centering pass right in front of Varlamov in the second. Then Matt Moulson clanked another puck off the pipe in the final minute of the second.
It was a physical game, there was a lot of extra-hitting and quite a few penalties the whole way through. One of the game’s uglier moments happened in the second period. The Wild’s Matt Cooke took a penalty for this hit.
It's not fighting that needs out of the game it's cheep shots by players like Cooke, how that's not a 5 min major for kneeing, absolute joke
— Mark Rycroft (@RycroftMark) April 22, 2014
The hit appears to have caused Colorado’s Tyson Barrie an MCL injury, and he is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. The hit could trigger a suspension for Cooke.
The biggest difference tonight for the Wild was how they bottled up Colorado’s 18-year-old superstar Nathan MacKinnon, according to the Pioneer Press. Coach Mike Yeo used the last line change to assign Cooke, Erik Haula and Justin Fontaine to help lock down on MacKinnon.
The move turned out to be very successful as they kept MacKinnon without a point for the first time in the series.
The win pulls the Wild closer in the seven game series. They trail 2-1, Game Four is on Thursday night back at the Xcel Energy Center.
Game Five will be back in Denver on Saturday.
