Avalanche Lose Game 5, Wild Set Up Game 6 in Minnesota

The Colorado Avalanche failed to clinch a spot in the Western Conference finals on home ice Wednesday night, falling to the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series. The Wild's 3-0 victory forces a Game 6 in Minnesota on Friday, staving off elimination.

Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, making his second consecutive start, was pulled after allowing three goals in the first period. Minnesota's Marcus Johansson scored just 34 seconds into the game, and Nick Foligno added two more goals against Blackwood. Scott Wedgewood replaced Blackwood to start the second period with Colorado trailing 3-0. Wedgewood had won six of his seven playoff starts prior to this game.

The Avalanche had entered the game with a 3-1 series lead following a 5-2 road victory in Game 4 on Monday. In that contest, Ross Colton and Parker Kelly each scored their first goals of the postseason in the third period to secure the win. Nazem Kadri, Nathan MacKinnon, and Brock Nelson also scored for Colorado, while rookie Danila Yurov and Nico Sturm scored for Minnesota.

Colorado had hoped to close out the series at home for the first time in over 18 years. Instead, the team must now travel...