NHL Playoffs 2014, Avalanche vs. Wild final score: Colorado wins overtime thriller 5-4
By Josh Hill
The Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche always seem to meet each other when they are at crossroads in their franchise histories. While both have been building over the past few years, they each seem on the cusp of something special and that naturally means they’re meeting each other in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
While this always seems to be the case, the Wild are due for some revenge on the Avs after getting bounced by them the last time they met in the postseason. Minnesota isn’t a stranger to the playoffs with this current roster though as general manager Chuck Fletcher constructed it as such for a run like the Wild seem primed to go on. But on the other side of the ice is Patrick Roy, who won a Stanley Cup as a rookie goalie and wants to same as a rookie coach.
But in the matchup between a rookie head coach and a stellar offensive attack, it was Zach Parise and the Minnesota Wild who came out with a stunning Game 1 win to take a 1-0 series lead into Saturday’s rematch.
Parise didn’t score himself in Game 1 but he did pick up two assists on the Wild four goals against Colorado. It was a back and forth game though as the Avs struck first thanks to Gabriel Landeskog only to be answered by Charlie Coyle and Ryan Suter to make the game 2-1 in the second period.
Ryan O’Reilly picked up the game tying goal in the second but the Wild goals kept coming in bunches as Colorado was quickly answered by Erik Haula and Kyle Brodziak who made the game 4-2 in the second.
The Avs got one back in the third but ultimately scored a thrilling goal with just seconds left after putting an extra skater on the ice which sent the game into overtime. Minnesota lost all of the momentum at the worst possible moment and ended up giving up a quick goal in overtime to concede a 1-0 series lead to the Avalanche.
No matter the outcome, if one thing is clear from the result of Game 1 between the Avalanche and Wild, it’s that we are in for one heck of a series the rest of the way.