Avs Take Command While the Playoff Field Burns

I had to ride solo for Episode 273, but honestly, this was one of those shows where the topics carried themselves.

Niko was out handling PLL training camp duties, and while it is always better when both of us are on the mic, the sports calendar did not exactly leave me stranded. The Avalanche are up 2-0 on the Wild, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are getting spicy, the NBA Playoffs are exposing teams left and right, and the Nuggets are already staring down an offseason that could get uncomfortable fast.

So yeah, solo show or not, there was plenty to get into.

And we have to start with the obvious:

The Colorado Avalanche look dangerous again.

Not fake dangerous. Not “they are playing well, but let’s wait and see” is dangerous. I mean the kind of dangerous where a team can win a completely drunk 9-6 game, come back two nights later, clean up almost everything that went wrong, and then squeeze the life out of the same opponent.

That is what championship-level teams do.

They do not just win one way. They can survive chaos, then turn around and win with structure.

That is exactly what the Avs did through Games 1 and 2.

Wild Fan Wellness Check

Before we even get into the actual hockey, I need to address the Wild fans for a second.

Where did all that talk go?

Because after Minnesota beat Dallas, some of you were feeling yourselves. I gave you credit for beating the Stars. I said I would rather see Minnesota than Dallas because Dallas has been a horror show for the Avs in recent years, but I did not say the Wild were an easy out.

Apparently, that was enough to get people in the comments.

And now?

A whole lot of silence.

That is why the “Wild Fan Wellness Check” had to happen. If you were loud after Game 6 against Dallas, I need that same energy now that the Avs have taken the first two games. Do not disappear now. Do not tell me the refs stole it. Do not act like the series just started when it moves to Minnesota.

The Avs handled business. That is the story.

Game 1 Was Absolutely Drunk

Game 1 was one of the weirdest playoff games I have ever watched.

The Avs came out flying. Sam Malinski opens the scoring, the fourth line gets involved, Artturi Lehkonen finishes off a beautiful setup, and all of a sudden it is 3-0. At that point, I was thinking we might have a comfortable night.

Wrong.

Very wrong.

Minnesota punched back fast. The Avs got loose defensively. Scott Wedgewood was not sharp. The Wild started taking advantage of every mistake, and before you could even settle into the game, the whole thing had turned into a shootout on skates.

It was entertaining, but it was also the kind of game that makes a coach want to rip his hair out.

There were bad reads. There were missed assignments. There were goalies left out to dry and others not doing enough to save their teams. It was chaos.

But here is the part that matters:

The Avs still won 9-6.

That is not normal.

You do not usually give up six goals in a playoff game and walk away feeling like the better team. But that is what happened. Minnesota threw one of its biggest emotional punches, got goals from all over the lineup, had the momentum swing their direction multiple times, and still lost by three.

That is a problem for them.

Because if that was Minnesota’s “everything is going right enough to steal one” game and they still could not get it done, then what exactly is the path?

Colorado had mistakes to clean up. Minnesota had to ask itself whether its best push was good enough.

That is a very different postgame feeling.

Game 2 Was the Response I Wanted

Game 2 started like it might get weird again.

Martin Necas gets one early, then Kirill Kaprizov answers almost immediately, and I will admit it: I had that “are we really doing this again?” feeling.

Then the Avs shut the game down.

From that moment on, Colorado looked like the more professional team. They did not let the game turn into another track meet. They tightened up defensively, made Minnesota work for everything, and punished the Wild when they took bad penalties.

And I do not want to hear that the refs stole the game.

The refs did not leave Nathan MacKinnon open.
The refs did not make Minnesota take bad penalties.
The refs didn't fix the Avs' power play for them.

The Wild got undisciplined, and Colorado made them pay.

That is playoff hockey.

Gabe Landeskog gets a power-play goal. MacKinnon gets his. The Avs start leaning into the game, and even though the shot total may not make it look like complete domination, anyone watching could feel it.

Minnesota had shots.

Colorado had control.

That is the difference.

The Math Is Getting Ugly for Minnesota

Now the series shifts to Minnesota, where things get real.

I am not saying the series is over. I am not going to tempt the hockey gods that aggressively. Minnesota still has players who can hurt you. Kaprizov is legit. Matt Boldy can create. Quinn Hughes has had moments. If they get healthier, the matchups can change.

But the math is ugly.

The Wild now have to beat the Avalanche four times in five games. If they drop either Game 3 or Game 4 at home, it becomes almost impossible to sell the idea that this series is still alive.

That is why Game 3 is everything for them.

For Colorado, I honestly just want a split in Minnesota. Get one of the next two, bring it back home with a chance to end it, and I feel great about where this thing is headed.

And yes, I will say it:

Avs in five is no longer crazy.

It is not a guarantee. It is not me planning the parade. It is just reality based on what we have watched through two games.

Colorado looks like the better team. Colorado looks deeper. Colorado looks more composed. Colorado looks like the group that has been here before.

Minnesota looks like a team that had a huge moment beating Dallas and is now realizing the next mountain is a lot steeper.

The Avs Are Winning in Different Ways

The reason I feel so good about Colorado right now is not just the 2-0 lead.

It is how they got there.

Game 1 was chaos. They won anyway.

Game 2 required structure. They handled it.

The stars are producing. The depth is contributing. The defense is involved offensively. The power play is finally punishing teams. Wedgewood bounced back after a rough Game 1. The team did not let one ugly win turn into bad habits.

That is what I love most.

This group does not feel like it is just riding talent. It feels like it knows how to correct itself.

That was one of my biggest concerns because we have seen Avs teams get to 6-0 in the playoffs before and then hit a wall. I still have the 2021 Vegas series trauma sitting somewhere in the back of my brain. So yes, I am excited, but I am also aware of what can happen if you start acting like a series is over too early.

This team feels different.

More experienced. More professional. More complete.

And if Val Nichushkin and some of the offense that hasn't fully exploded yet start firing at the level we know it can, then the rest of the West has a real problem.

The West Is Setting Up Nicely

The other part of this is what is happening around Colorado.

Vegas and Anaheim are tied 1-1, and Anaheim has been a much tougher out than people probably expected. That young Ducks team can fly. They are making Vegas uncomfortable with speed, and they are not acting like the moment is too big for them.

I still do not think either team is a matchup that should scare Colorado if the Avs keep playing like this.

Respect them? Absolutely.

Fear them? No.

The Avalanche are in a great spot in the Western Conference. They took care of business against LA. They are up 2-0 on what many people thought could be their toughest remaining matchup in the conference. The other side of the bracket may turn into a long, physical series.

That is exactly what you want.

Again, I am knocking on wood while I say this, because I do not need Niko yelling at me when he listens back.

But the path is there.

The Nuggets Have a Real Offseason Coming

After the hockey talk, I had to shift to the Nuggets, and that conversation is a lot less fun right now.

The season ended in disappointment, and now it looks like David Adelman is going to remain the head coach. That means the real questions move to the roster.

Jokic is obviously untouchable. After that, I do not know how many comfortable conversations there should be.

Jamal Murray is the big one. I am not saying I want to throw away everything he has done here. That would be ridiculous. The man helped bring Denver its first NBA championship. He has delivered some of the biggest playoff moments in franchise history.

But if we are being honest, his contract, availability, and consistency make this a real discussion.

The same goes for Aaron Gordon, but in a different way. When he is right, he matters. He brings toughness, athleticism, and a role that fits perfectly next to Jokic. But your best ability is availability, and he has not been available enough the last two seasons.

That is the hard part about championship cores.

You love them for what they did.
You trust them because of what they proved.
Then one day, you have to ask if that version still exists.

The Nuggets are there now.

And honestly, a lot of this goes back to the front office. Losing Tim Connelly to Minnesota mattered. Losing smart people in your building matters. When you do not value those people, they go somewhere else and build teams that become your problem.

That is exactly what happened.

The NBA Playoffs Are Exposing Everybody

The NBA side of the playoffs is wild right now because it feels like nobody gets to live off reputation anymore.

Boston is out. Denver is out. Milwaukee has already learned this lesson. Golden State’s last title feels more and more like the end of an era.

The league has more parity than people give it credit for.

Oklahoma City looks like the team to beat. Minnesota is still dangerous. San Antonio has Victor Wembanyama changing what teams can even attempt at the rim. The Knicks are making noise. Philadelphia is doing the same Philadelphia thing, where there is talent, there is drama, there are injuries, and somehow it still feels like the second round is the ceiling.

That is what makes this playoff run interesting.

There is no automatic dynasty right now. Everybody has to prove it again.

And for Denver, that should sting a little bit.

Because they had the chance to become the team that kept showing up every year, instead, they are already at the point where we are asking what has to change.

Final Thought

Episode 273 was supposed to be a solo show, but it ended up feeling like a full playoff checkpoint.

The Avs are rolling. The Wild are quiet. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are getting more physical. The NBA Playoffs are exposing teams that still think last year matters. The Nuggets are heading into an offseason where “run it back” cannot be the only answer.

But the headline is still the Avalanche.

They are up 2-0. They are 6-0 in the playoffs. They have won ugly, won clean, won loud, and won professionally.

That is the kind of start that makes you believe something bigger might be building.

I am not saying the job is done.

I am saying the rest of the league better be paying attention.

Because right now, the Avs do not just look like a team that can win this series.

They look like a team that can burn down the whole playoff field.

Sound Off

Are the Avs already in Minnesota’s head, or does this series still have life?

You can just drop your take in the comments, tell me who deserves Player of the Week and Benchwarmer of the Week, and make sure you are following @FEOTBPod for more episodes, more clips, and more 90 Seconds from the Bench.

Episode 273 is live now.

Avs take command while the playoff field burns.