The Minnesota Wild are on the brink. After a promising Game 3 victory, the Wild had to be feeling confident about their chances against the tough Colorado Avalanche. Instead, the team reverted back to their ways from the first two games of the series, losing 5-2. Now, they are one more loss away from being eliminated, and that could occur as soon as Wednesday night.
Ahead of Game 5, Wild defenseman Brock Faber called their performance last game "sloppy," while declaring that the team knows how to beat the Avalanche. For Minnesota to do that, they'll need to be their "absolute best."
"It was just sloppy," said Faber, h/t NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "It's not that any of us didn't want to win the game or wanted it any less, I just think we, unfortunately, didn't have our best and you need your best in games like that. That's what is so frustrating. That is what it is. We showed that when we're at our best, we can play with this team, we can beat this team, and now we're going to need that absolute best for next game."
Brock Faber said Wild need to play at their 'absolute best' to win Game 5
The Wild showed in Game 3 that they can rattle the Avalanche and win with ease. The Wild won the takeaway battle 7-3, they outhit Colorado 39-25, and had more blocked shots by the 15-8 margin. Most importantly, Minnesota made Colorado pay for penalties, going two-for-three. Oh, and Kirill Kaprizov stepping up help matters too, putting up a three point performance (one goal, two assists).
The Avalanche notably made a goaltending change for Game 4, benching Scott Wedgewood for Mackenzie Blackwood. Unlike the Wild, who benched Jesper Wallstedt for Filip Gustavsson for Game 2, it didn't backfire for the Avalanche. Blackwood stopped 19-of-21 shots faced from the Wild. Overall, the Wild had no answers, reverting back to their old ways, notably being ineffective on the power play, going just one-for-four.
For Game 5, they won't be getting additional help, as Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin, both of whom suffered lower body injuries, did not make the trip to Denver. Neither player has played a game in this second round series.
Game 5 is their most important game of the season, and that's not sugarcoating it. The Wild have obvious Stanley Cup aspirations, and this might be their best shot at winning their first. But they will need to find their way to play their "absolute best," as Faber said.
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