Avalanche Rally From Three Goals Down, Eliminate Wild in Overtime Thriller.

DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche looked finished midway through Game 5 after falling behind by three goals against the Minnesota Wild. Instead, they delivered one of the franchise’s most dramatic playoff comebacks in recent memory. Defenseman Brett Kulak scored 3:52 into overtime Wednesday night, lifting Colorado to a 4-3 victory at Ball Arena and sending the Avalanche to the Western Conference final for the eighth time since the franchise moved to Denver. Kulak buried a feed from Martin Necas in front of the net after Colorado erased a 3-0 deficit that had silenced the home crowd early. The goal capped an unlikely night for the veteran defenseman, whose previous goal came back in January while playing for Pittsburgh. Colorado’s comeback gained momentum late in regulation. With the Avalanche trailing 3-1 and their season hanging in the balance, Jack Drury scored with just over three minutes remaining. Then, with the net empty, superstar center Nathan MacKinnon blasted a shot past Minnesota goaltender Jesper Wallstedt with 1:23 left to tie the game and ignite the arena. Minnesota appeared firmly in control early. Marcus Johansson scored only 34 seconds into the contest, and Nick Foligno added two first-period goals to stake the Wild to a commanding 3-0 lead. The Avalanche responded by replacing starting goalie Mackenzie Blackwood with Scott Wedgewood after the opening period. Wedgewood steadied Colorado with seven saves while the offense slowly clawed back into the game. Late in regulation, defenseman Cale Makar briefly exited after colliding with Mats Zuccarello and appearing to injure his right arm, but he later returned. The loss was especially painful for Minnesota, which had never previously lost a playoff game after holding a lead of at least three goals. Wallstedt finished with 30 saves, while Matt Boldy and Nico Sturm each recorded two assists. Colorado now advances to face the winner of the second-round series between Vegas and Anaheim, with Vegas currently holding a 3-2 advantage.