Overview
- Colorado beat Minnesota 9-6 in Denver in a rare playoff outburst that featured 15 total goals and 14 different scorers.
- John Hynes said he did not consider pulling Jesper Wallstedt during the loss and has not named his Game 2 starter.
- Wallstedt stopped 34 of 42 shots for an .810 save rate, while Scott Wedgewood finished at .833 as both coaches stayed with their goalies despite capable backups in Filip Gustavsson and MacKenzie Blackwood.
- Minnesota played without key defenders Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin and allowed seven five‑on‑five goals after giving up four in six games in the first round.
- Colorado repeatedly scored from the right circle on clean wrist shots, which players and coach Jared Bednar linked to pre‑scouted target areas, while expected‑goals data (4.29 for Colorado, 3.23 for Minnesota) underscored how unusual the 9-6 scoreline was.