The Minnesota Wild clinched home-ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Friday, earning a 4-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
The Wild entered the night locked into a first-round matchup with the St. Louis Blues but home ice for the best-of-seven series was up for grabs.
With a two-point lead over St. Louis, a win over the Avalanche would ensure Games 1 and 2 would take place in St. Paul but a loss to Colorado and a regulation victory by the Blues over the Vegas Golden Knights would send the Wild to St. Louis.
Minnesota left little doubt by dominating the game early. Jordan Greenway and Tyson Jost scored first-period goals before Kirill Kaprizov scored from an impossible angle in the second to give the Wild a 3-0 lead.
4⃣7⃣ on the year for Kirill!! 🤑
All @Ryan_Carter22 can say is "Whoa!" #mnwild pic.twitter.com/MvBelrxtPS
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) April 30, 2022
Although Nazem Kadri chipped into the lead with his 28th goal of the season, Greenway added an empty-net goal to help the Wild cruise to victory and make Vegas’s 7-4 victory over St. Louis irrelevant.
Earning home ice is a huge advantage for the Wild. Minnesota compiled a 31-8-2 record at home this season and their only home meeting with the Blues was their Winter Classic game, a 6-4 loss at Target Field
The NHL will release the schedule for the Stanley Cup Playoffs this weekend with games beginning on Monday night.
