Avalanche Pull Wedgewood, Must Choose Game 4 Goalie
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- Scott Wedgewood was pulled early in the second period of Game 3 after allowing three goals on 12 shots across 24:23, replaced by Mackenzie Blackwood, who stopped 12 of 13 shots over the remaining 32:27
- Coach Jared Bednar said there is a 'decision to make' about Game 4 but praised Blackwood's play, explaining the change was meant to 'spark our group' after Wedgewood looked 'a little too aggressive' on Minnesota's tallies
- Kirill Kaprizov (three points), Quinn Hughes (two points) and a Zuccarello shot deflected in by Ryan Hartman off Devon Toews beat Wedgewood, before Nathan MacKinnon's power-play goal cut the deficit to 3-1 and Brock Faber answered 20 seconds later
- Wedgewood had been the Avalanche's workhorse all postseason after a 31-6-6 regular season that led the NHL with a 2.02 GAA and .921 save percentage, starting every Colorado playoff game entering Saturday
- Despite the lopsided score, the Avalanche outshot Minnesota 36 to 24 and held a 56% 5-on-5 shot share, but were stymied by Jesper Wallstedt in his return after being benched in Game 2
- The series resumes Monday at 8 p.m. ET with Colorado holding a 2-1 lead, meaning Bednar must decide whether to ride the hot hand in Blackwood or return to the goaltender who carried the league's best team all season
Why it matters: Colorado built the NHL's best record behind Wedgewood's career-best season, and shifting to Blackwood for a pivotal Game 4 rewires the trust chain Bednar leaned on all year. A loss Monday would hand the Wild home-ice momentum and turn a 2-1 series lead into a coin flip, while a win lets Bednar confirm the switch without consequence — the kind of decision that can define a playoff run.
