The Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche meet up tonight in Game 4 of their First Round NHL Playoffs series tonight. The game is scheduled for a 9:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on CNBC. Currently the odds for the game have Minnesota favored at home in this contest.
Colorado has gotten out to a 2-1 series lead over the Minnesota Wild in their best-of-seven opening round series. The Avalanche won both of the game at their home arena, winning one game in overtime while holding a two-goal cushion until the end in Game 2. The Game 3 overtime session saw Minnesota end it with a tally from Mikael Granlund five minutes into the contest. The Wild will need to continue to pressure the Avalanche and take advantage of being on home ice.
Minnesota finished the regular season with a record of 26-10-5 in home games, finishing as one of the better teams in the league in their own arena. Granlund has really given a spark to the Wild offensively and the youngster could prove to be a big factor for Minnesota the rest of the series. Granlund missed significant amount of time this season because of concussion issues.
Zach Parise and the Wild can even the series tonight after surviving Game 3 and we expect them to play well in this game. Minnesota played extremely well in that third game, outshooting Colorado 44-20 and really controlling the game on both ends of the ice. It certainly would have been a break to them if the Wild weren't able to get that victory on home ice.
Colorado goalie Semyon Varlamov has played extremely well in this series and even with the loss on Tuesday, still played a tremendous game. If he continues to be a stonewall in between the pipes, Minnesota is going to have a tough time. Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper made a very good start for his team when they needed him the most, stepping in during an odd goalie situation for Minnesota.
Neither team has played well on the power play, scoring one goal each through three games. Special teams are very important for any playoff series and the penalty kill units have been a major focus for both clubs.
Tonight, we like the Wild at home. They are more or less in must-win mode now and they should get a victory here tonight on home ice.
Free Pick: Minnesota 4, Colorado 2
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