Though it wasn't a blowout on the scoreboard, the Minnesota Wild mercilessly pummelled the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 on Thursday night, winning 2-1. It was probably the most lopsided game of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Wild dominated puck possession to an astonishing degree throughout the game and outshot the Wild 32 to 12 overall and 28 to five at even strength. That the Avalanche made a team like the Wild look that good in Game 4 probably doesn't auger well for the balance of this series.
Defenseman Jared Spurgeon opened the scoring for the Wild early in the first period, and Charlie Coyle scored the game-winner off of a fortunate bounce midway through the second.
A flukey Ryan O'Reilly knuckler beat Darcy Kuemper shortly after Coyle's goal and made Game 4 a "one-shot game." But the result was rarely in doubt until Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy pulled Semyon Varlamov with 2:35 left in the third, as the Wild completely controlled proceedings throughout.
Game 5 of this opening-round series will be played at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. on Saturday. Puck drop is at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Top Performer
Only one Avalanche player apparently showed up for Game 4, and he was spectacular enough to hold his team in it through 60 minutes.
Semyon Varlamov added yet another chapter to his breakout season with a 30-save performance. The Avalanche goalie was shelled repeatedly, but came up huge with a bevy of quality stops. His save off of a Matt Moulson breakaway in the first period was excellent, but this series of stops on Zach Parise and Mikael Granlund may have been even better:
[Courtesy NHL.com]
Turning Point
The Wild stormed the barricades right out of the gate and set a dominant tone that they never really deviated from in Game 4. They managed 13 consecutive even-strength shot attempts in the opening 10:40 of the first period, a stretch that included Spurgeon's opening goal and eight shots on net.
This is what dominance looks like in graph form *adjusts nerd glasses*:
[Courtesy extraskater.com]
Highlight Reel
When a team controls the territorial battle to the extent the Wild did in Game 4, that team is statistically much more likely to get favorable bounces. Coyle's second period game-winner is a cogent example of this concept:
Quote of the Night
"We did what we wanted to do. After two very disappointing games [in Colorado], you have to protect your home ice. Now we've got to win on the road. One way or another, if we want to win this series, we've got to win a road game," said Wild forward Zach Parise.
Series at a Glance
Game 1 Recap: Avalanche 5, Wild 4 (OT)
Game 2 Recap: Avalanche 4, Wild 2
Game 3 Recap: Wild 1, Avalanche 0 (OT)
