Something switched up in game 3 of this series. The more physical team showed up and in a big way. The Wild clobbered the Avalanche 5-1 in game three back in Minnesota. The Avs found out quickly that finesse and skill don’t travel well out on the playoff road. The one thing that does travel on the road is grit, a trait that the Avalanche lack in a big way. However, nobody can make that same claim about the Minnesota Wild. In game three, the Wild beat up the Avalanche and Colorado has the scars to prove it. Yakov Trenin and the Foligno brothers left a trail of tears as they smashed every Avalanche player that moved. Meanwhile, even the skill players for the Wild got in on the act. Kirill Kaprizov went after every loose puck like his life depended on retrieving it. It didn’t help out that Minnesota’s silent power play came to life in game three.

The Wild learned something from game one and two of this series. You can’t out skill the Avalanche but you can sure out hit and check them. Also, after game two it was fairly obvious that the Wild needed to go back to Jesper Wallstedt in goal. He played tremendously and stopped a number of excellent scoring chances that the Avs had in game three, particularly in the third period. Toughness hurts and it hurt the Avalanche in ways that words cannot measure. Because the Avalanche have everything you could want skill wise, but lack a killer instinct. Minnesota had to win game three and they were on the puck like some great white sharks.

Goal-tending and grit win in the playoffs and we will see whether the Minnesota Wild bring that element tonight in game four. If they do, this series will head back to Denver tied at two games a piece. Also, it will leave the Avalanche with many questions that they cannot find the answer to right now.

BY: JASON GRANT