Brett Kulak scored 3:52 into overtime after Nathan MacKinnon tied it late in regulation and the Colorado Avalanche advanced to the Western Conference final with a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Ross Colton and Parker Kelly each scored their first goals of the postseason in the third period for Colorado as the Avalanche snapped back from a midseries lull and beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in the second round of the NHL playoffs.

Kirill Kaprizov scored first and assisted on the next two goals as the Minnesota Wild delivered the Colorado Avalanche their first defeat this postseason with a 5-1 victory in Game 3 of their second-round series.

The Colorado Avalanche made a change in the net for the first time this postseason when they pulled Scott Wedgewood early in the second period of Game 3 of their second-round series after he allowed three goals to the Minnesota Wild.

Carolina and Colorado have put on a clinic for how to start the playoffs.

Nathan MacKinnon is known for his speed and his scoring.

Nathan MacKinnon scored a goal and assisted on two more as the Colorado Avalanche rolled through Minnesota’s newest netminder, Filip Gustavsson, on their way to a 5-2 win over the Wild to grab a 2-0 lead in the second-round playoff series.

The Minnesota Wild are making a switch in net for Game 2, going with Filip Gustavsson on Tuesday night after Jesper Wallstedt gave up eight goals in a 9-6 loss to Colorado.

The Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild began their second-round playoff series with a surprising 9-6 shootout.

Cale Makar scored twice in the third period after returning from an earlier injury and the Colorado Avalanche overcame blowing a three-goal lead to beat the Minnesota Wild 9-6 on Sunday night in a wacky Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.

Quinn Hughes led Minnesota to its first playoff series victory in 11 years, scoring twice in the Wild’s 5-2 victory over the Dallas Stars in Game 6 on Thursday night.

The Minnesota Wild are going home with a chance to advance in the NHL playoffs for the first time since 2015.

Matt Boldy scored on a deflection with 28.9 seconds left in the first overtime and the Minnesota Wild beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Saturday in Game 4 to tie the first-round NHL playoff series.

Matt Boldy had two goals with an assist, Joel Ericksson Ek scored two power-play goals and rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt stopped 27 shots in his postseason debut to help the Minnesota Wild beat the Dallas Stars 6-1 in Game 1 of their Western Conference playoff series.

The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild are getting ready to start a first-round playoff series that has been expected for months.