Faceoff Factor

Wild Vs Avalanche Game 3 Preview

Mike Adams | National Hockey League

Apr 14, 12:34 PM | Hype this story!

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Wild (3) vs. Avalanche (6) Game 3
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Series Score: Wild 1 – Avalanche 1
Game Time: 10:00 EDT
Location: Pepsi Center (Colorado)
Television: Versus

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Preview
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Most observers believed that this series was too close to call. They were evenly split on who they thought would win it. So far, they haven’t been disappointed. Both games in Minnesota went to overtime. Game 1 produced a likely hero as Joe Sakic scored the winner for Colorado. But Game 2 gave us the unlikeliest of heroes—Wild defenseman Keith Carney, who slapped the winner past a stunned Jose Theodore in overtime. Carney wouldn’t have been playing if not for injuries to Nick Schultz and Kurtis Foster.

The scene now shifts to the Pepsi Center in Denver for Games 3 and 4. Colorado has been tremendous at home all season long. Having stolen one in Xcel Energy Center, they will look to keep the home cooking going.

Minnesota must consider themselves fortunate to have earned a split thus far, as regular-season scoring leader Marian Gaborik was kept off the scoreboard in the first two games. They simply have to get him untracked if they are to have any chance in a long series. Mikko Koivu has picked up the slack with a couple goals and three total points, and they have been fortunate to get goals from Carney and enforcer Todd Fedoruk. Niklas Backstrom has been average in net, stopping under 90 percent of the shots he saw in Games 1 and 2. He will also need to step it up.

Colorado got the split they wanted on the road. Now they come home, where they lost only 12 games in regulation this season. For them, Theodore has been the story. He stole Game 1 with some brilliant saves early, when the Wild dominated. He was again solid in Game 2, at least until Carney beat him. How he reacts to that goal might go a long way in determining how well Colorado does. The Avs have had a balanced attack thus far, with no player scoring twice or having more than two assists. They will hope to rev up the offense a bit at home, though that will be difficult against a Wild team that will likely play it close to the vest on the road.

For a complete list of team leaders and statistics, click here.

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Injuries
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Minnesota: Foster, DTD (leg); Kelly, DTD (ankle); Schultz, DTD (appendix)
Colorado: Clark, IR (shoulder); Leopold, DTD (hip); Parker, DTD (ankle); Svatos, DTD (knee)