DENVER (AP) 鈥� A tight game was expected. A game featuring 15 goals between two of the top defensive teams?
鈥淚f you scripted that one,” , 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how you do. I can’t explain it.”
Cale Makar scored twice in the third period after returning from an earlier injury and overcame blowing a three-goal lead to beat the 9-6 on Sunday night in a wacky Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.
Makar, who left in the first period with an undisclosed ailment, scored his second goal of the game with 2:54 remaining to make it 8-6. Nathan MacKinnon added an empty-net goal with 2:08 remaining to seal it.
This was the 10th playoff game ever with at least 15 combined goals and just the second since 1994. There were five goals in each period.
鈥淛ust a weird game,鈥� Makar said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we鈥檙e going to see that again. It鈥檚 probably a one-off, but glad we were able to stick with it and find a way to win.鈥�
Who figured this? A high-scoring affair between two of the stingiest teams in the league with two elite goaltenders. There were who notched a goal in a game that turned into a track meet. It’s tied for the second-most in a playoff game.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to be able to win games like this,鈥� captain Gabriel Landeskog said. 鈥淣ot necessarily a coach鈥檚 dream or a player鈥檚 dream 鈥� we don鈥檛 want to give up six goals. It鈥檚 good to win this one but we鈥檝e got lots of things to clean up.鈥�
The Avalanche improved to 72-1 since moving to Colorado in 1995-96 when leading a playoff game by three or more goals. The lone loss was Game 5 against St. Louis in a season they went on to win the Stanley Cup.
A well-rested Colorado team led 3-0 with 6:47 left in the first period. But the Wild steadily climbed back and took a 5-4 lead on a short-handed goal from Marcus Foligno late in the second.
Devon Toews tied at 5-apiece in the second period. It was just the fourth Game 1 in playoff history with both teams scoring five or more goals through two periods.
鈥淟isten, the game was helter-skelter,鈥� Wild coach John Hynes said. 鈥淲e lost the game. There are certain areas we’ve got to clean up and be ready to clean up. If you lose a game, you鈥檝e got to take the lessons out of it, move on.鈥�
Both goalies struggled, but made some timely saves, too. Scott Wedgewood, who had the league’s best goals-against average this season, allowed one more goal than he did in the entire sweep of the Los Angeles Kings in Round 1.
He made 30 saves while Jesper Wallstedt stopped 34 shots.
鈥淗e鈥檚 great. He鈥檚 going to bounce back,鈥� Marcus Foligno said of Wallstedt. 鈥淗e鈥檒l be fine next game. He鈥檚 a beast. This wasn鈥檛 on him. I mean, there鈥檚 a lot of things, (but) we got to play a little bit faster for him.鈥�
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Denver.
The Wild were without forward Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Jonas Brodin. They’ve been ruled out of Tuesday’s game as well.
Makar took a scary hit along the boards from Foligno early in the first period. The Avalanche defenseman’s right leg flew into the air before falling to the ice. Makar tested out his skating with some twirls at the end of the first and returned for the second. He had an assist on Nick Blankenburg’s goal.
鈥淚 was just trying to get back and feel good,鈥� Makar said. “It鈥檚 not fun when you kind of tweak something, but it happens. Got to be ready for it. Had to check a couple things out, make sure it was good to go.鈥�
___
AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow contributed.
___
AP NHL playoffs: and
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
