Mikael Granlund finally solved Semyon Varlamov on the Minnesota Wild's 46th shot of Game 3, scoring the lone goal of the contest on a beautiful move to the net 5:08 into overtime on Monday to cut Minnesota's series deficit to 2-1 against the Colorado Avalanche.
Granlund and teammate Zach Parise each fired seven shots in a game dominated by Minnesota from start to finish. Wild netminder Darcy Kuemper stopped 22 shots to earn a shutout in his first career playoff start.
[Source: ExtraSkater.com]
Star Performer
Despite the loss, this was Varlamov's game. The Colorado netminder made 22 saves in the first period alone and finished regulation with 44 stops. In a game where the rest of the Avalanche barely showed up, Varlamov still gave them a chance to steal a victory.
Turning Point
Overtime meant this game was not decided until Granlund's first career playoff goal, which he scored following a tremendous individual effort.
Granlund battled Avalanche defenseman Jan Hejda and eventually won the puck along the side boards before cutting to the slot, stickhandling between two other Colorado players and sliding the puck into an open net.
Highlight Reel
Along with losing the game, the Avalanche also lost defenseman Tyson Barrie in the second period when Wild forward Matt Cooke delivered a knee-on-knee hit. Barrie left the game and is expected to miss significant time, while Cooke received a minor penalty for kneeing and could be suspended.
Varlamov made many highlight-reel saves through the contest. This save on Matt Moulson came late in the first period, but Varlamov still had enough energy to square up to a wide-open Moulson in the slot and deflect just enough of the shot to steer it wide.
Quote of the night
Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic put his faith in the NHL department of player safety when asked about possible repercussions for Cooke's hit on Barrie:
Joe Sakic to Denver Post on whether Matt Cooke should be suspended: "I'm confident the league will do the right thing."
— Adrian Dater (@adater) April 22, 2014
Series at a glance
Game 1 Recap: Avalanche 5, Wild 4 (OT)
Game 2 Recap: Avalanche 4, Wild 2