Avs Push Wild Off the Brink, Wemby Drama & NFL Schedule Week

There are times in the sports calendar when everything starts moving at once. The weather finally turns, the playoffs get nastier, the chirping gets louder, and every fan base suddenly decides they have been personally chosen to suffer more than everyone else.

Welcome to May.

Episode 274 of The Far End of the Bench had Niko back in the chair after PLL chaos, and honestly, the timing could not have been better. We recorded before Game 5. The Colorado Avalanche were up 3-1 on the Minnesota Wild. The chance was sitting right there: win at home, close the door, and move one step closer to the Stanley Cup.

And then later that night, they did exactly that.

The Avs finished the job, sent Minnesota packing, and punched their ticket to the Western Conference Finals.

So this episode hits a little differently now. It is not just a preview. It is not just a prediction. It is a receipt.

We talked about the Avs having control of the series. We talked about Colorado’s depth being the difference. We talked about the Wild running out of answers.

Then the Avalanche went out and proved it.

The Avs Didn’t Just Push Minnesota to the Brink — They Threw Them Over It

Let’s start with the obvious.

Colorado handled business.

Minnesota punched back in this series. Game 3 was ugly. The Wild made things uncomfortable, clogged up space, leaned into the physical side, and reminded everyone they were not just going to roll over because Colorado had the better top-end talent.

But the Avalanche response after that was exactly what championship-caliber teams are supposed to show.

Game 4 told us this series had shifted. Game 5 confirmed it.

The Avs had the opportunity to do something they had not done in years: close out a playoff series on home ice. That matters. Not because a team cannot win on the road — Colorado has already proven it can — but because special runs need special moments in front of the home crowd.

And Ball Arena got one.

That is the kind of win people remember. That is the kind of night that turns into a story. That is the kind of closeout that makes the rest of the league look around and go, “Alright, Colorado is not messing around.”

This Was a Depth Series, and Colorado Won It

The easy version of Avalanche analysis is always the same: Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, stars, speed, skill, done.

But this series was not that simple.

Colorado’s stars mattered, obviously. They always do. But what made the Avs dangerous against Minnesota was that the Wild could not withstand the waves.

The second line mattered. The bottom six mattered. The defensive forwards mattered. The guys who don't always get the national spotlight showed up in the moments when playoff series are decided.

Parker Kelly scoring a massive goal was not some cute side note. That was playoff hockey. That was the kind of depth contribution that breaks a team’s back.

Ross Colton being involved mattered. The defensive responsibility from Colorado’s forwards mattered. Val Nichushkin taking on brutal matchups and making life miserable mattered. Mackenzie Blackwood settling in and giving the Avs the goaltending they needed mattered.

Minnesota had talent. Minnesota had stars. Minnesota had guys who could step in and take over shifts.

Colorado had a full roster capable of taking over the series.

That was the difference.

The Wild Found Moments. The Avs Found the Series.

Minnesota deserves some credit. They made Colorado uncomfortable at times. They had a plan. They slowed the game down, forced the Avalanche into the hard areas, clogged the neutral zone, and tried to make the Avalanche earn every point.

That worked in stretches.

It did not work for four wins.

That is the gap between having a moment and having an answer.

A moment can win you a game. A moment can get your fans loud. A moment can make Twitter unbearable for 24 hours.

But an answer wins a series.

The Wild never found one.

Once Colorado adjusted, Minnesota had none left. The Avalanche had more speed, more depth, more finish, and more ways to win. That is why this series ended the way it did.

Minnesota did not get embarrassed because they were soft. They lost because Colorado was better.

And now the Avs are moving on.

From “Can They Close?” to “Who Wants This Problem?”

Before Game 5, the question was simple: could the Avalanche finally close a series at home?

Now the question changes.

Who wants this problem next?

Because Colorado is not just surviving right now. They are building. They took a punch in Game 3. They responded in Game 4. They finished in Game 5. That is a progression. That is how playoff teams sharpen.

This is where the tone of the run changes. In Round 1, everyone is trying to prove they belong. By the Western Conference Finals, there are no flukes left. You are either dangerous enough to win the whole thing, or you are about to get exposed by someone who is.

The Avs look dangerous enough.

That does not mean the road gets easy. It does not mean the matchup will be clean. It does not mean injuries, bad bounces, weird officiating, or one brutal night cannot flip momentum.

But Colorado just showed it can win a series with more than one formula.

That matters.

Around the Stanley Cup Playoffs: The Avs Are No Longer Chasing the Moment

The rest of the Stanley Cup Playoffs are still sorting themselves out, but Colorado’s job is done for now.

That is a huge advantage.

When you close early, you get rest. You get preparation. You get a chance to breathe while the rest of the bracket keeps eating itself. In playoff hockey, that is not a small thing.

Vegas and Anaheim were grinding through their own series, and if that matchup continued to stretch, all the better for Colorado. Vegas brings structure, size, and playoff scars. Anaheim brings youth, speed, and chaos. Either way, the Avalanche no longer have to wonder if they will be part of the next round.

They are already there.

In the East, Carolina looks like a machine. Montreal and Buffalo bring different problems, different atmospheres, and different kinds of danger, but Carolina has the depth and structure to make a real run.

But the big picture is this:

The Avs are no longer watching the playoffs from the outside. They are not waiting to prove themselves. They are one of the teams everyone else has to measure against now.

ESPN’s NHL Coverage Still Feels Like a Missed Assignment

We also had to talk about the broadcast, because when a playoff goal happens, and the viewers barely see it, that is a problem.

I get it. ESPN wants interviews. ESPN wants star-driven conversations. ESPN wants to make every broadcast feel like a content package. But sometimes the answer is simple:

Show the game.

That is it.

Could you show the actual playoff hockey game happening in front of you?

The NHL already fights for national attention. It does not need its own broadcast partner, making the product feel secondary to pre-recorded interviews and awkward timing. TNT has found a way to make its NHL coverage feel like an event. ESPN too often makes it feel like hockey is borrowing space between NBA segments and NFL offseason talk.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs deserve better than that.

And when the Avalanche is making a real run, missing the moment is even more unacceptable.

Wemby Got Tossed, and Minnesota Got Under His Skin

Then we moved to the NBA Playoffs, where Victor Wembanyama found himself in the middle of the kind of moment every young superstar eventually has to deal with.

Minnesota got under his skin.

That is what they do. They are physical. They are annoying. They are comfortable making the game ugly. And when you are a young star trying to carry massive expectations, that can pull you out of your game fast.

Wemby getting ejected is not some career-defining disaster. It is a playoff lesson.

The league is going to test him. Veterans are going to test him. Teams are going to hit him, crowd him, talk to him, lean on him, and try to make him prove he can stay composed when the game gets nasty.

That is the next step.

The talent is obvious. The ceiling is ridiculous. But playoff basketball is not just about highlights and alien stat lines. It is about emotional control when everyone in the building is trying to drag you into the mud.

Minnesota won that part of the battle.

The Nuggets Question Still Hangs Over Everything

Any NBA Playoff conversation for us will eventually get back to Denver.

The Nuggets got their championship. Nobody can take that away. But the question now is whether the organization is still acting like a team trying to maximize the prime of the best player in franchise history.

Because that is where the frustration lives.

Nikola Jokic is still good enough to be the center of a championship team. The problem is that everything around him has gotten thinner, more expensive, more injured, and more complicated. The bench issues did not show up overnight. The health concerns did not appear out of nowhere. The contract problems did not magically appear.

That is years of decisions catching up.

The Nuggets do not need to panic. They need honesty. If the team is serious about competing for another title, there has to be a real conversation about roster construction, health, development, and whether the current version is good enough to survive four rounds again.

Because “we have Jokic” is not a plan.

It is a blessing.

Please don't waste it.

NFL Schedule Release Week: The Offseason’s Biggest Trap

NFL Schedule Release Week is one of the most fun fake holidays in sports.

Every fan base gets the same gift: a list of games that immediately turns into delusion.

Your team gets three primetime games? Respect is back.

Your team opens on the road? The league hates you.

You get a tough December stretch? Conspiracy.

You get a soft-looking September? Playoffs confirmed.

That is the beauty of it. The NFL has mastered the art of making nothing feel like something. No games have been played. No injuries have happened. No quarterback has thrown a dumb pick yet. But the second the schedule drops, everyone starts counting wins as if they're guaranteed.

And yes, we are absolutely part of the problem.

The Bengals' path matters. The Broncos' path matters. The primetime matchups matter. The revenge games matter. The travel spots matter. The short weeks matter. The late-season weather games matter.

Schedule Release Week is not football, but it is the first real hit of football oxygen.

And after months of mock drafts, free agency arguments, and quarterback debates, we will take it.

Jimmy’s Awards: Parker Kelly and Michael McCarron

For Jimmy’s Awards, the Player of the Week had to be Parker Kelly.

That goal was massive. That was a playoff goal. That was a “scream loud enough to concern the neighbors” goal. Kelly has been exactly the type of player who makes a difference in a series like this because he is not waiting around for permission to matter.

The Benchwarmer of the Week went to Michael McCarron.

And honestly, it was earned.

Calling out Josh Manson while trying to play the tough guy role is one thing. Actually, being the guy to answer for it is another. McCarron wanted the quote. He wanted the attention. He wanted the tough-guy label.

Then, when it came time actually to be that guy?

Crickets.

You do not get to talk like the sheriff and then hide behind the saloon doors.

Niko’s Awards: Mackenzie Blackwood and Gavin McKenna

Niko went with Mackenzie Blackwood as his Player of the Week, and it makes sense. The Avs needed him to settle the series, steady the room, and give Colorado the kind of goaltending that travels deep into the playoffs.

In the playoffs, goaltending does not always have to be perfect. It seems that it has to be timely. It has to settle the bench. It has to give the team in front of you belief.

Blackwood did that.

For Benchwarmer, Niko went with Gavin McKenna — not because McKenna did anything wrong, but because getting attached to Toronto expectations is its own punishment.

That market is a pressure cooker. If McKenna becomes the guy, he won't just be asked to be great. He is going to be asked to carry decades of frustration, media chaos, fan trauma, and “why haven’t you saved us yet?” energy before he can legally rent a car.

Good luck, kid.

You are going to need it.

Final Thought: We Said the Avs Had the Moment. They Took It.

This is why playoff sports are the best.

Before the game, we talked about the opportunity. The Avs had the chance to close out Minnesota, protect home ice, and move into the Western Conference Finals.

Then they went out and did it.

That changes the whole feeling around this team.

Colorado is no longer the team with a chance to finish the Wild. Colorado is the team that finished them. The Avs are not waiting around for the run to become real.

It is real now.

The Wild are gone. The Avalanche is moving on. The Western Conference Finals are waiting.

And if the rest of the league was not paying attention before, they should be now.

Episode 274 started as a playoff preview. It turned into a playoff receipt. The Avs handled business, the NBA gave us drama, the NFL schedule machine fired up, and the far end of the bench had plenty to say about all of it.