Biggest winners (and 1 loser) from dominating Wild win over Avs in Game 3

Just when everyone thought the Minnesota Wild had lost their mojo, the team found it in a big way in Game 3 against the Avalanche.

Minnesota handed Colorado its first loss of this postseason in a 5-1 domination that served as a reminder of how good this team can be. Hope was restored, and the next step is evening the series before sending things back to Denver in a similar position to where the Wild were against the Stars last series.

Things weren't easy at the start of the series against Dallas but the Wild figured things out and found a new gear. Saturday in St. Paul was an indication that we could be in for something similar against the Avs, as the Wild gave fans a game more than worth being proud of.

Winners and Losers from 5-1 Wild win over Avalanche in Game 3

Winner: Wild Penalty Kill

One of the biggest weaknesses for the Wild this postseason has been special teams, specifically the penalty kill. Dallas nearly flipped the series thanks to how easy it was to score with a man-advantage and the Avs have capitalized on that in a big way over the first two games of this series.

That surprisingly -- and necessarily -- came to an end in Game 3. The lone Avs goal of the night came while Marcus Foligno was in the penalty box, but for the most part Minnesota's penalty kill was phenomenal all night.

It's the type of adjustment the Wild desperately needed to make. We'll see if the bleeding has truly been clamped, but holding Colorado to just one goal on three power play opportunities is massive. Hopefully it's a sign that Minnesota's special teams has turned a corner, which is what the Wild need if they want to keep this playoff run alive.

Winner: Kirill Kaprizov

Kaprizov's offensive firepower has been sorely lacking this postseason but he hasn't been a non-factor by any means. That's something we were reminded of on Saturday, where it was the best of all versions of Minnesota's best player.

He kicked off an avalanche of Minnesota offense and once again finished with multi-point game. Kaprizov has at least one point in seven of the last nine games despite only having goals in three of them. That's a testament to his ability to help create offense even of he's not generating it himself, and it was a massive difference maker in Game 3.

All night Kaprizov's name was flying around the TNT broadcast booth, something that is music to the ears of Wild fans who were witnessing his magic on the ice -- the type of magic the team needs to get back into this series.

Winner: Jesper Wallstedt

After giving up eight goals in the first game against Colorado, Jesper Wallstedt was replaced by Filip Gustavsson in a move that didn't pay off -- at least not initially.

Wally returned to net for Game 3 and essentially pitched a shutout. Daemon Hunt knocked Wallstedt down on Colorado's lone goal of the night, which makes it hard to put that one on the netminder given he never really had a clean shot at making a save.

When Wallsteadt did have a clear path he was brilliant. He stopped 34 shots on the night and made the same sort of highlight reel saves that helped the Wild power past the Stars in the opening round. Simply put, it was a vintage Wally performance and the kind of game we've become accustomed to seeing him put in.

Allowing eight goals in a game was uncharacteristic for Wallstedt, and even though he was replaced by John Hynes in Game 2, the general consensus was that it wasn't an accurate representation of what Wally brings to the team. We saw a return to form in Game 3 that suggests he's found his groove again, and it couldn't be happening at a better time.

Loser: Anyone who thought this series was over

Minnesota still has a hole to dig out of before officially getting back into this series, but Game 3 was a massive step in the right direction. Everything the Wild needed to have go right did, but it's what went right -- and how well it did -- that suggests this could be a brand new series.

Wallstedt's brilliant night gave him and the defense a confidence boost it badly needed. After allowing 14 goals over the first six periods of this series, the Wild clamped down and allowed just one to Colorado in Game 3, and it really shouldn't have counted.

Daemon Hunt fell into Jesper Wallstedt and knocked him out of place, which makes Saturday's win a spiritual shutout for Minnesota.

Wallstedt found his mojo again in Game 3, but he wasn't the only important player on the Wild to do so. Kirill Kaprizov finally has his breakout game, saving it for the exact right time. He finished with three points and a goal, marking the seventh time in nine playoff games this season where he's recorded at least one point.

Kaprizov has been lacking offensive firepower this postseason but he's helped create offense even if he's not generating it. That was a huge part of tipping the series against Dallas in Minnesota's favor and Game 3 was a perfect example of how much of a game changing force he can be on the ice.

Meanwhile Quinn Hughes continues to look like a magic trick wrapped in a cheat code, with both Matt Boldy and Brock Faber excelling in their roles as well. Everything clicked for the Wild in ways that suggest they're up to the task of meeting Colorado's challenge and while the hill is still steep there's more than enough gas in the tank and horsepower in the engine to get Minnesota to the top.

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